He is Here!

There are good things and bad things about a scheduled c-section.  Good: you get to have babysitters, meals, activities, and plans made for the children you already have; you get to have washed hair and shaved legs and pretty painted toes for the long hospital stay without labor sneaking up on you; you don't actually have to have labor pains; you are packed and ready to go without any rush.  Bad: you have to go to bed knowing that in a few hours you are having a baby and surgery.  Even with the sleeping pill my doctor gave Joey and I, we did not sleep over an hour the night before baby boy's arrival. We helped Alden through a spell of the croup, played on our iPhones, and watched HGTV and the clock until we saw 4:00 am roll around and thanked goodness it was time to get ready to go. Here are our beautiful selves at 4:45 am ready for the hospital.

 7:07 am: Harrison Thomas DuMontier is here! My doctor tells me as he is pulling him out that he is a big boy. He says, "About a 12 pounder!" I was behind the surgical curtain going, "No! He is not 12 pounds!" He wasn't, but still beat his brothers weighing in a 8lbs. 15 oz. rounding up.  And this was the baby we were so worried would be premature and undernourished with his single vein cord. That little vein sure did work hard! I will spare the details of the c-section (which went perfectly), but I will say that I loved my anesthesiologist. I don't know what they started giving me for nausea, but I want to have some to keep on hand for a bad day with three boys!  I didn't think it was possible to be that relaxed while listening to your stomach stapled shut.

Right after the birth, they were mentioned they were going to have to start PT's because they heard labored breathing and were determining if he needed to go to the NICU. I think at that point I went numb because it was one of our biggest fears that we would have to go through that again.  I figured that I would just pray until they got me sewn up and hoped God didn't care how many drugs I was on at the moment.

Good thing he loves to fuss because he fussed it all out and spit it on me by the time we got up to the room.  No NICU!  Prayers answered.

Phillippians 4:6-7"Do not be anxious about anything but by prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
                                             
                                                
Post-surgery Mommy. We got to travel together from the O.R. to our room. Strangely enough, we also had to carry around the placenta in a red plastic bag until they figured out whether he was going to the NICU (if they do, they have to send the placenta off for testing).  It was sort of a Hollywood Scientology moment. We were both glad when it was gone.

First bath in the room.

 

We had him to ourselves for just a little while...

And then the Grandma's came to "get their hands on the baby."
                                       
No matter what happens in the next year, this boy did have hair like his Mamma when he was born. Tons of dark, dark brown hair.

Because the single vein artery umbilical cord develops at the same time as the kidneys, we faced our next test shortly after his birth.  He passed with flying colors! We were absolutely thrilled beyond belief to have a healthy baby and a healthy Mom!
                                      
Harrison slept so well his first night that I woke Joey up to go and check on him to make sure he was still breathing. He is a great eater, and loves, loves, loves to be held by Mommy.

                                     

Yeah, well, I love, love, love to hold him. He pretty much gets whatever he wants. We spend a lot of time laying around in the dark watching him sleep.

Trying out our paci.  We are a bit dramatic and give the nurses fits trying to check his stats.  He doesn't like his diaper changed, he doesn't like his temp taken, he doesn't like his hat getting put on...he pretty much fusses at just about everything but eating.  They have all predicted that he will be high maintenance. He will fit right in at our house then. It is not bothering me one bit because I am just so thrilled to have in the room with me. I know that I should send him to the nursery at night to get some sleep but memories of being in an all-too-quiet room without my sweet Spencer really make me appreciate the noise.  And hey, it is not like I have slept in four years anyway. Why start now?

Opening the peepers and looking around.

Getting his way again.

Day Two of life = circumcision.  Bless his heart, it wore him out.  And then it woke him up all night long.  He was not too happy in his bed. I think the only time I really slept well we when he went to get his bath in the nursery.

But he slept just fine right here, so where do you think he ended up?  I spent a very early Friday morning in bed with a decaf latte from Starbucks, the cuddle bug, and watching the entire Today show.  This is starting to feel like vacation.

Getting ready to check out the world.  We have yet to let him know that he is not an only child and that nice ladies don't magically come and get you in the middle of the night and clean you and perfectly swaddle you and return you to eat. Well, maybe that last part I am in denial about myself.  As mentioned, Alden and Spencer both ended up with respiratory viruses and croup respectively this week. I ended up on just in case antibiotics and very dry hands from drowning myself in hand sanitizer to keep from getting sick. They have been quarantined at home with grandparents and babysitters.  Alden has "mailed" me pictures and letters everyday and told me that he wrote my phone number on them so I would get them.  I hope that my mother is getting them out of the mailbox and saving them for me. Today, their pediatrician gave them the all clear to finally come and meet "Baby Harry" tomorrow. I am pretty excited.

Tonight, we are hanging out watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and trying not to eat the entire plate of brownies that Susan left by my bed since I promised Alden I would save them one.  We are yet to be determined whether the "va-kay" ends tomorrow or Sunday. I think I am brave enough to face the reality that all three kids in the room belong to me, but I am not sure that I don't want one more Starbucks Today Show morning in bed with the Snuggle Bug before I realize that I am actually in charge of them all at the same time. 

                                         

But I am pretty sure that we are going to feel like the luckiest people in the world with these three little boys in our lives. Our prayers have been more than answered. We have had great lessons in patience and faith over the last seven years since our baby journey began. We have faced trials we never thought that we would know. We have been blessed more than we ever imagined. Welcome to the world Baby Harry!

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

Big Brothers

With Baby Boy #3 coming tomorrow, I wanted to jot down Alden's predictions for his new brother. Spencer was not interested in participating. He just keeps telling me that the Baby is outside. I don't even know what that means, but I think he will be very surprised with the outcome of the week.

Alden's Predictions:

What color is his hair?                              
Brown like Mommy

What color are his eyes?                          
Green

How much will he weigh?                        
40 pounds

What will he eat?                                      
He will eat cabbage. "When we were finished with Chattanooga, Baby Spencer ate cabbage so maybe that is what babies eat."

Who will he look like?                              
Spencer

What songs will you sing to him?            
"God Bless the Moon" and "ABC's"

What will you do when he cries?              
 Give him trucks to play with

What book will you read him?                  
 If You are Happy and You Know It    


What will you teach him?                        
 How to jump

What will his first words be?                    
 I love you

What will his favorite toys be?                  
Airplanes

What will you do with him?                      
Hold him and play Candyland




Isn't Harrison going to be a very lucky boy?

Alden will show him how to love life. He will show him to appreciate new adventures, learn from his mistakes, and always be willing to meet new friends. He will show him it is okay not to be shy. He will teach him how to pray and tell him about God.  He will teach him all about superheros and dinosaurs. He will encourage him to be brave, strong, and imaginative.  He will teach him to love books and love reading and a stellar vocabulary. He will show him how to climb every bookcase and how to get the stool out to get food from the kitchen counter.  He will show him how to slam a door and yell really loud. He will probably teach him how to wrestle his brothers to the floor and break through every baby safety lock in the house.  He will love him despite the number of times he tells us he is taking his toys or he wants to give him away.  How do I know this?  Because I have already seen this pretty swell big brother in action.

Spencer will show him how to appreciate a good pacifier.  He will show him patience and empathy.  He will show him how to think of others. He will show him how to be a good listener and how to follow the rules. He will make him laugh and help him find his silly side. He will kiss his boo-boos and tell him that it is "all better." He will show him more love than he could ever imagine. He will teach him all about trains, playing outside, and turning on every faucet in the house. He will teach him that clothing should be optional at all times and how to let the dog out of her cage when no one is looking. He will be the first one to slip him a cookie.  He will probably show him how to jump on the bed and throw sand in the fish pond. I am pretty sure that Spencer has a unique spot in this family. No one else gets to be the big brother AND the little brother. That makes him pretty special.

The List

I have printed and probably pinned a whole bunch of summer activity lists for us to accomplish off of Pinterest.  Some of them are quite impossible for us to do, or frankly, I am just not willing to even try to do. I always have the best of intentions of making "lesson plans" so to speak each day and we always end up getting just as off track with those as we do the weekly menus I create. I am attempting to adapt to this fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants personality, but takes a lot of getting used to for this planner. It does help to be very pregnant in 104 degree summer weather to help me feel just fine about letting go and even taking a daily nap.  I am making peace with the fact that I might not make the 101 things to do this summer Pinterest challenge. But, we are staying busy, we are happy, entertained, and all worn out at the end of the day. So, here is a taste of our "Things to Do this Summer" off the cuff checklist. 

1. Visit every single park in our area that has a wooden train.

2. Make bath time modern art with shaving cream paint and not worry one bit about the mess or the food coloring stains on my shower curtains.

3. Hire a paper boy who loves his job.

4. Have a lot of friends with summer birthdays and attend as many parties as possible. 

 I have to confess that we went to a few that the super excited boys referred to as "my friend's birthday party." When we asked them what their "friend's" name was they had absolutely no idea. There was cake and playtime and probably juice boxes. That is how you become their friend.

5. Learn how to build real things out of Legos instead of just towers for little brothers to knock down. I was proud of Alden's first Lego car.

 6. Stay active and learn to be acrobats without busting our heads open.

 7. Counteract all physical activity by eating as many treats as possible. Have your parents vow to end the endless sugar cycle everyday only to succumb to inevitable weakness because they like the treats just as much as the kids. (Even Mr. Paleo Diet)

7. Play dress-up "boy style."

8. Go to a baseball game and actually sit through the whole thing. Wait. Maybe sit is a strong word. But we made it through the whole game without leaving early.

9. Play TBall.  (And do a GREAT job!)

10. Take long, summer afternoon naps. All three of us.

11. See how many kids and stuffed animals you can rock to sleep at the same time with a pregnant belly before someone falls off. 

12. Put as many new foods as possible on your kids' plates to force them to eat at least one vegetable you got at the farmer's market.  Success: Alden = squash Spencer = avocado

13. Attend Vacation Bible School for the first time.  I asked Alden if he learned anything about Jesus. He said he just did crafts.  Hum...

14. Get ready for baby brother. The instructions said I needed another adult to help me put this together.  I looked around and all I could find was a four year old with a plastic hammer and Spiderman pajamas. Kind of the same thing actually.  Seemed to work.

                                               

15. Succumb to creating every craft for toddlers and preschoolers you can find on Pinterest and trying it out.  That is a success! These are my play dough mats I made with my new laminator (oh, how this teacher missed having a laminator!). Each one of the boys has a "learning bag" with ziplock bag games, puzzles, workbooks, stickers, and art supplies. They love it and actually pay attention and want to do it. Spencer especially loves his Thomas shape matching wheel and actually recited all of his shapes to the lady at the farmer's market correctly. One of them listens! He actually listens!

On a side note, Alden had his four year check-up. The doctor drew shapes and had him identify them. She drew a square. He said it was a rectangle. She said that it wasn't a rectangle but was a special kind of rectangle with four sides. He says, "Uh, is it a trapezoid?" She let him go with that answer and told me that she would work on her drawing abilities.

16. Try to see fireworks and cry the whole time once they start. Alden said it gave him a "firework headache." Spencer said they were "too loud." Alden said they weren't his favorite colors. Spencer said he wanted pink ones.

17. Be interviewed for the evening news about the farmer's market and swimming at the YMCA in the same week.

18. See how big the baby (who was supposed to have trouble growing) could get before he actually comes. Right now, we are estimated at 7 lbs. 10 oz. at 36 weeks! I think that single vein in the umbilical cord is working just fine. Everything is measuring two weeks ahead except for his height which is on time. So, apparently we are short and pudgy with tons of hair. Can't WAIT to meet this little guy.

19. Learn to share with our best friend.

                                      

20. Scare your mother. 

You are supposed to be on the inflatable slide. Mom is at the bottom waiting with camera for you to come down. You don't show up. Mom gets the staff to crawl up the inflatable slide to look for you. You are not there. Panic. Oh, wait, you have snuck under the gate and are taking a race car ride with the manager of the play place.  

21. Make a list of places I will never go with two/three kids by myself.  #1 is the inflatable play place.

22. Go to $2 summer movie flicks. With the help of Popcorn, we have seen: Madagascar 3, Kung Fu Panda, and The Lorax. 

                                     

22. SWIM!!! So proud of him!