Construction zone

From my post in the kitchen, I heard the familiar sound of the Mega Blocks crashing to the floor. All 110 of them. It's my least favorite sound, because all I can think of is the clean up that will be required when the kids tire of playing with them. But it's also a sound that lets me know I've got some time to myself while the kids entertain each other by building and demolishing tower after tower.

"Whatcha building, Caleb?" I yelled into the playroom.

"Big tower!" came his enthusiastic reply. And then, in case I didn't get it, "Big, big, big, big, big tower, Mommy!"

I waited for the crash that usually follows. He finds just as much joy in destroying the towers as he does in creating them. But my ears were met with silence.

"Look, Mommy!" he called out. "Big, big tower!"

I peeked around the corner and found him dwarfed by a tower of storage boxes.

Sometimes, Mega Blocks just aren't big enough.

Cheese

I love newborn smiles. And in my very impartial opinion, I must say that Jacob has a pretty cute one.

I've been insisting to everyone that newborns don't smile. Their grins, I've always thought, were simply a reflex.

This kid's proving me wrong. He's one smiley baby. And those big toothless grins are at their biggest and brightest whenever he locks eyes with his dad.

I'm pretty sure my heart just melted a little.

The fun one

There's a reason Justin does all the vacuuming around here. Until now, that reason has been that our vacuum is just too stinkin' heavy for me to lug around the house. But from here on out, I'll remind him that his Super Dad skills (the ones that allow him to leap tall Mega Block towers in a single bound) empower him to simultaneously clean the house and keep the kids entertained. You just can't let skills that that go to waste.

Before we had kids, I insisted I'd be the fun parent. Justin could handle the hard discipline issues, I thought. (Apparently in my naivety I also thought that discipline would only occur on weekends and evenings when he was off work.) I'd be the cool, fun mom that did crazy stuff like take the kids on speedy vacuum rides around the house.

I think I actually enjoy being wrong about this.

Gobble it up

So much to be thankful for this year. And this healthy little boy tops my list. (The smoked turkey leg in his hand is coming in a close second.)

Try as I might, I simply could not figure out a way to make the trip to visit family even remotely possible this year. Having to stop and feed a newborn every couple of hours, on top of the pit stops and diaper changes required for the rest of the family, would have added far too much time to an already too-lengthy trip. And loading all these kids in the van cuts down significantly on our packing space. So until we get one of those luggage carriers for the top of the car and Jacob eats like a normal human, I think our road trip days are on hold for a while.

Lucky for us, our good friends also found themselves with no where to go for Thanksgiving. So we enjoyed dinner with all the trimmings with friends who are just like family to us. And technically, I guess we could call it MeatFest: Thanksgiving Edition, since Justin smoked a most-delicious honey-brined turkey and we gorged ourselves on meat, sides, and pies until we all wanted to pass out. (Pretty much the only requirements for an event to qualify as a MeatFest are the presence of the original MeatFesters and more meat than can be consumed by those present. Side dishes and desserts are optional.)

Wish you were there? Click here for more...

This magic moment

As I perused through the many photos we've taken over the past few weeks, this one caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I realized just how unlikely this moment was, for a number of reasons:

• My two-week-old is asleep in a fairly rowdy playroom.
• There are no toddlers jumping on me.
• I appear to be (and actually am) well-rested.

So far, life with three kids ages three-and-under isn't so bad. It's a logistical challenge, to be sure. Grocery shopping and trips to Starbucks may never be the same. But I would agree with the moms who told me that the transition from two to three kids is far easier than the transition from one to two. Life with a newborn is going better than expected. It helps that Jacob has decided that the hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. are prime sleep hours. I never knew I could appreciate seven hours of uninterrupted sleep this much. I'm praying this trend continues.

A healthy snack

I've been out-crafted. With an arsenal of gumdrops, marshmallows and miniature apples, my dear friend Rebecca and her children invaded my home and officially one-upped me.

Last year's construction paper turkey has nothing on these incredible edible creations. And the kids had a heck of a lot more fun making them. Now if I can just keep their hands off of them until after we eat our real turkey, I'll have something to be truly thankful for.

Birth order blues

Thirteen-day-old Jacob's first BBQ experience at Moley Brothers Q-Pit

I was warned. There's a lot a third child misses out on. Not because you love them any less, but simply because life is a little more chaotic than it was with the first and second kids. I've already taken far fewer pictures of Jacob's first two weeks of life than I did with Abby. And the fact that he doesn't have a room or a bed of his own speaks volumes (although he does look quite cozy in his pack-n-play in my closet).

But there are some things we simply won't let our darling third offspring miss. We're sticklers for tradition, and introducing our newborns to the wonder of good brisket and pulled pork is one of those traditions we simply won't budge on. So with Mimi and Papa along for support, we dragged our pack of wild children out for Jacob's inaugural barbecue experience. He came home smelling like smoked meat, which did wonders for disguising the smell of poop and soured milk that have become his trademark scents.

Four-day-old Caleb's first BBQ experience at Carolina Brothers BBQ

Seven-day-old Abby's first BBQ experience at Beetle's BBQ

Survival instinct

I have a confession to make. Week 9 at the preschool of Mommy had less to do with teaching my children anything and more to do with simply getting through the day with three kids. After finding out I was going to be on my own with two toddlers and a one week old, I realized I needed a plan if I was going to make it to lunch without losing my mind (or one of the children). I'd planned to take a break from preschool while we settled in with Jacob, but decided that having some organized activities was better than just wandering aimlessly around the house chasing down toddlers.

So I pulled out my giant preschool notebook, stole some craft ideas from other creative mommies, and mapped out my day in 30 minute increments. It worked like a charm. The kids had a blast, as always, and were hardly fazed by the addition of our newest pupil (who slept through most of the morning, thankfully). They loved having Jacob join them for story time, and Abby was deeply concerned that he couldn't work on crafts or play play-doh with them.

All in all, Preschool Lite + Newborn went surprisingly well. Caleb really got into his watermelon letter w craft this week, and we worked on counting to ten as he sorted and added "seeds" to his creation. He's great at counting out loud to ten, but doesn't quite understand the concept of applying a single number to each item as he counts. He was perfectly content to yell out "one-do-free-four-five-six-ehven-eight-dine-den" over and over as he pointed randomly at the beans in front of him. He's also become obsessed with being meticulously clean during craft time, which makes working with glue a bit of a challenge. "Nakkin, Mommy?"--his request for a napkin--is the only thing that interrupted his counting.

Lap space is at a premium for story time now, but thankfully all the kids are still quite happy to sit through about a half an hour of stories at a time. This is the longest any of my kids will stay quiet and still at one time, and I welcome the rest that comes from finding a story they love and reading it as many times as they want. Currently, they're loving our book of ABC Bible verses and such classic fairy tales as The Princess and the Pea, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood and The Gingerbread Man. We're still working through our Bob books as we focus on our letter of the week. Abby's sight words are paying off, and I'm finding that if I pause long enough when I come to a word I know she recognizes, she'll chime in and read it herself. She's super proud of herself whenever she reads a word now, but gets embarrassed if I make a big deal out of it. So I try to quietly affirm her and move on. (Although inside, I'm bursting with pride myself for my little girl. There's nothing quite like seeing her figure things out on her own.)
And for no other reason than they're delicious, and it takes up lots of time, we made sugar cookies this week. Caleb wanted to make "ninzerbed men" like the gingerbread man in the story, so he cut out plenty of those after Abby meticulously flattened out the thickest roll of dough I've ever seen. Later we frosted and decorated them before dining on our creations after lunch, and I realized that I probably hate those sugar crystal sprinkles about as much as I hate glitter. But I'll continue to allow it in my home, because my kids love it and, let's face it...sugar cookies just aren't the same without sprinkles.

Good thing these kids love to take turns vacuuming.

Too many kids in this tub

"There's too many kids in this tub

There's too many elbows to scrub

I just washed a behind that I'm sure wasn't mine

There's too many kids in this tub."

~Shel Silverstein

With the exception of that first bath they gave him in the hospital nursery, poor little Jacob hasn't really had a good scrubbing since his birthday. So since the big kids were getting bathed anyway, we thought we'd take the opportunity to wash some of the stink off the little guy too. (Spitting up on yourself for two weeks doesn't leave you smelling all that fresh.)

In true Jacob fashion, he sat quietly through his first real bath, with the occasional shiver offering the only clue that he wasn't totally pleased with his situation. We were totally prepared to get some good screaming pictures of our third child. What kid loves their first bath? But alas, it seems we have yet to find anything that really ticks him off enough to vocalize his displeasure.

Far be it for me to complain. Having a quiet newborn is a welcome addition to our far-too-noisy household.

Tummy time

I did my best to mentally prepare for the fact that I was going to have to do this parenting thing by myself eventually, but with a three to one ratio this time. I've known all along that the grandparents were going to go home, and Justin was going to have to get back to work, so I made a plan for how to get through the day.

But really, nothing says survival mode quite like staying in your pajamas until lunch time. Maybe tomorrow we'll work on getting dressed. For today, we accomplished getting downstairs, and that's good enough for me.

Desperate housewife

In an effort to prove to my family that I should, in fact, still be counted among the living, I made a bold move yesterday.

I got dressed.

That's right...for the first time in almost a week, I put on a pair of jeans and traded in my monkey slippers for some sneakers. I tried on four pairs of pre-pregnancy pants before I landed on some that fit, I squeezed myself into them, and I joined my family downstairs for breakfast. Later, Jacob got to tag along while Justin and I took Abby to her BFF's princess party. There were adults there for me to talk to, and I realized that a big part of feeling normal again is just getting out and doing normal things again.

The headaches have subsided, and I'm still taking it easy. But it sure does feel good to be feeling like myself again.

And I must have proved myself somewhat capable of handling little outings, because the in-laws took me and the brood out for pizza today. It only required a little begging on my part. We took up plenty of space in the restaurant with our one huge table, one booster seat, one high chair, and one infant seat. And we learned that you can actually fit four adults and three kids in our van at one time.

The big kids are still enthralled with their new little brother. Caleb is apparently engaged in a constant game of hide-and-seek with Jacob, running around the house yelling "Where'd baby Jacob go?" any time he loses sight of him. Abby is still bringing him soft toys "to feel him better" whenever he cries, and likes to get right in his face and ask "What's with all the fussin' little buddy?" anytime he makes a peep (which is not very often). Jacob's proving to be a roll-with-the-punches kinda guy, a product, I'm sure, of being the third child and having no other choice. He sleeps a lot, cries very little, and has turned into my little alarm clock where feedings are concerned, waking up every 2.5 hours exactly to eat during the day. His pleasant newborn behavior patterns have me pretty convinced that he must have snuck a copy of Babywise into my womb and read it cover to cover as part of his campaign for favorite child status.

Stay tuned as the craziness continues to unfold...

Postpartum ramblings

Smitten doesn't even begin to describe it. I love everything about this kid. Everything. And I think everything he does is adorable, including his 1 a.m. velociraptor imitation, which is spot on.

We're almost a week into life as a party of five, and so far, things are going pretty well. This is due largely to the fact that our moms have been parenting my toddlers downstairs while my hardworking hubby takes care of me and the little guy upstairs. We'll see what happens when the help leaves and I have to start being the mom again. For now, I'm thankful to the family taking care of me and mine, for the friends who are bringing meals, and for this darling little boy that has stolen my heart.

A complication with my epidural has kept me mostly bedridden since we came home from the hospital, but has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If you've never had a spinal headache, lucky you. Trust me when I say it is no fun to have the cerebrospinal fluid that keeps your brain floating happily in your skull draining out. It was, in fact, painful enough to make me question my decision to get an epidural in the first place. Thankfully it was easily treatable with a simple procedure called a blood patch. And by simple, I mean that they had to repeat the epidural, draw blood from my arm, and pump the blood into my spine to stop the leak. To say I never want to go through this again is an understatement. But if it weren't for the doctor's instructions to lie as flat and still as possible and drink lots of caffeine to help relieve the pressure, I might not be enjoying nearly as much postpartum snuggle time with my newborn. And I certainly wouldn't be drinking this much Cherry Coke.

As for the little guy, he's doing great. Jacob is already falling into a decent feeding/sleeping pattern that is making life blissfully predictable and only wakes us up twice at night. Not bad for a six-day-old. Today he finally woke up for the first time since exiting the womb and spent a few hours here and there with his eyes open taking in the world around him. And speaking of his eyes, the doctor confirmed what I had guessed. After popping out two surprisingly blue-eyed cuties, these two hazel-eyed parents have finally managed to produce a hazel-eyed child. He loves having his head rubbed, hates being cold, and a good swaddle will put him right to sleep.

As for me, I am blessed. Very, very blessed. I wouldn't trade this motherhood stuff for anything in the world.

Happy Birthday Jacob

Welcome to the world baby Jacob!

Jacob Peter Fisher

November 7, 2010

7:10 p.m.

7 pounds, 1 oz.

19 inches

Taking it easy

Most of what I do during the day is all about my kids. I keep them fed and watered, make sure their bottoms, noses and hands are clean, plan activities for them, take requests for their favorite music in the car, and make sure their social calendar doesn't get too overwhelming or too boring. It's kind of like being a life coach for toddlers. Except I don't get paid. And they take me for granted.

So as often as I can, I throw in an activity that isn't necessarily for their benefit. Like this week, when we spent time talking about hospitality and kindness to others during our preschool time. To illustrate, I let them make muffins for the ladies in my Bible study. And except for the part where Caleb knocked over my stand mixer while it was mixing the batter, I'd say cooking activities with the three-and-under crowd are getting easier and easier. We counted muffin cups as we stuffed the muffin tin, and Caleb surprised me with his ability to count to three over and over again.

Week Eight at Preschool Lite was letter v week, so we worked on coloring and gluing these letter v vases. Abby's getting to be pretty meticulous with her crafts and is becoming more and more confident with doing all the gluing and decorating on her own. I try to give her verbal instructions about what our craft will be and then see what she comes up with, rather than showing her an example for her to copy. The purpose of this mind-stretching is two-fold: (1) to see how creative she can be on her own, and (2) to avoid the frustration that occurs whenever her craft doesn't look exactly like the example. She's a little perfectionist, and that isn't always a good thing.
We read the story of Rahab in the book of Joshua this week and talked about how she protected the spies by hiding them in her home, and how God saved her and her family because of her faithfulness. And because I needed a Rahab craft idea, and because Abby has been begging for a bookmark ever since she saw me using one, we made some Wall of Jericho bookmarks with Ephesians 2:8 on the back ("By grace you have been saved, through faith...") and attached red cords to them to remind the kids of the red cord Rahab hung from her window so the spies could find her and protect her when they returned. Both kids loved this craft, and made a huge mess with those little red squares to prove it.
To wrap up our week, we celebrated Caleb getting his cast off by pulling out the box of Play Doh supplies that I've kept locked up for the past three weeks. In my mind, Play Doh, a two-year-old and a cast just seemed like a pretty bad combination. But with the cast gone, the kids can once again enjoy making snakes, sharks and letters of the alphabet for hours on end.
The end of this pregnancy is taking its toll on my energy level, so we kept it pretty low-key this week where preschool activities were concerned. We did lots of sitting and reading, sitting and counting, sitting and crafting...you get the idea. I'm looking forward to having my energy back, and being able to get out and do more active things with the kids again. I'm sure I'll need all the energy I can get if I'm going to keep up with these two crazy toddlers while lugging a baby around.

Castaway

It's been three weeks since I've seen that chunky little arm. I missed it.

Happy Castaway Day to our little crib-jumper! X-rays revealed two perfectly straight, perfectly healed arm bones after just three weeks in the cast.

Caleb was a little nervous about the saw when the procedure started, but once he realized that he was getting his cast off, he was more intrigued than upset. "Cast off! Cast off!" he repeated through most of the removal process.

When it was over, we played a round of "Elbows, no elbows," an arm-bending game the kids invented at the dinner table where they alternately bend and straighten their arms to make their elbows disappear and reappear. Caleb kept forgetting he could bend his left arm again, so Abby demonstrated until he remembered to play with both arms.

We celebrated getting the cast off the same way we marked the day it went on: with a delicious lunch at Moe's. Only this time, our little lefty was able to eat his burrito much more efficiently.