Walking!

There are so many things to report, but it's been an embarrassingly lazy year here at Franklin Forum (Only 32 posts?!?), so we'll just stick to the headlines: Sam is walking!  He took his first steps right around Thanksgiving (13 months), and by Christmas, walking was his primary mode of transport. This video was taken a little over a week ago, and already he's so much more stable. It's amazing how quickly it happens!



And since it's not recorded anywhere else, I should also report that, after a 6 month dry spell, Sam has some new teeth.  Two molars on the top, and one (?) on the bottom.  Hooray for being able to eat more crunchy and chewy foods!

Finally, here are a couple of bonus videos to give you a sense of his developing little personality.  Hopefully 2014 will be a better year for the Franklin Forum editors.  C'mon, guys!  Get it together!

Where are the kids?

Sometimes I wish we had a bigger house so the kids could have more space to play.  And sometimes...

Mommy Nap Time Hack

I love rocking my babies to sleep.  Really, I do.  But, there is just no way that I can leave Marley and/or Amelia alone for long enough to get the job done.  Actually, I have no problem leaving them alone.  They're the ones who cannot leave me alone!  If I leave the room, even if they have been completely occupied and playing by themselves, I have about two minutes before they come searching for me.  This happens even when I tell them where I'll be and what I'll be doing.

"I'll be right back.  I just need to lay Sam down."

"Okay."

45 seconds later...

"Mommy!  Where are you!?! I need help!"

This has led to some innovative parenting on my part.  I discovered the magic of wearing my baby on my back when Amelia was a baby (thanks, Kristie!), and Sam has been riding back there since he was just a couple of weeks old.  

So now, when nap time rolls around, up he goes.  Then, I go about my business until he falls asleep, which usually takes anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes (he especially likes when I do the dishes or fold laundry).  Finally, it's time for the transfer!

  

*Observant readers of the blog may notice that we have separated the crib from our bed, and put the side back on it.  We decided to do this a couple of months ago because Sam was just getting too mobile and needed to be better contained.  He now takes all his naps in his crib (and I don't have to worry about him falling off the bed!), and starts each night in there (though he still joins us in bed sometime in the middle of the night).

Samuel's Birth Story

As I watched my little guy turn one last week, I couldn't help but reminisce about the day of his birth.  I've been meaning to post this story here (which I probably started writing nearly a year ago!), and I figure his birthday is as good an excuse as any to get it finished.  AND, thanks to my wonderful friend, Tanya, this is the first time I actually have pictures to go along with the story.  Marley's birth was too scary, and Amelia's was too fast.  Third time's a charm, I guess!  But, I sure do treasure these images. Anyway, on with the story.  Enjoy!

I tried not to have any preconceived notions about this pregnancy, labor, or delivery. But having gone through it twice before, I couldn't help feeling like I knew what to expect. Based on my history, I was sure Samuel would come well before my due date, and that I would have a fast labor and delivery, which would begin with my water breaking. He decided to help prove that I don't know everything!

On Thursday, October 25 (just 2 days before my due date), I dropped Amelia off at school at 9:30 am, and about an hour later (10:30 am) experienced my first contraction. It wasn't painful, but was very clearly a cramp with a beginning and end. By the time we picked Amelia up, came home to eat lunch, and returned to drop Marley off at 12:30, I had experienced several more contractions. They were not yet regular or painful, but they were enough for me to call Jeff home from work.

Our initial phone conversation went something like this:

Jeff: Hello?
Me: Hi, it's me.
Jeff: Is everything okay?
Me: Yes, I'm fine.
Jeff: Okay, I'm in a meeting.  
*dial tone*
Me: Uh.  Hello?

I had to call him back to clarify that while I was fine, I was also in LABOR! :)  Since I was feeling pretty well still - the contractions were about the intensity of mild menstrual cramps - I drove to the U-District to pick Jeff up from work. I still wasn't sure that this was 'real' labor, but I felt a huge sense of relief having him with me. We had a little scare when Amelia dimmed all the dashboard lights while Jeff loaded his bike. We thought something was wrong with the car before we realized what she'd done!

Jeff got Marley from school at 3:00, and we went about our afternoon. I was still sure that my water would break before it was time to go to the hospital, so I didn't pay very close attention to the contractions. But, around 5:30 I decided to start timing them because they seemed to be coming more frequently, though intensity-wise, were still fairly mild.  I was surprised to find that they were 3-5 minutes apart!  I was trying to make a quick dinner, while Jeff entertained the kids.  He offered to switch with me, but I didn't think I could concentrate on the game of Risk that Marley wanted to play:)

Around 6:00, I called the OB on-call (my regular OB was on vacation, so we had Dr. Okorn) and she thought we should probably head in.  Jeff called his parents, and also Liz and Chris, to come over and stay with Marley and Amelia.  Chris arrived first, so we packed up our stuff, said goodbye to our older babies, and headed to the hospital.

While we were getting ready, Tanya called from work (at a neighboring hospital) and asked *semi-jokingly* if I was planning on having a baby tonight since she was already over there and could easily come by after work.  I told her to go ahead and meet us there since it looked like we'd be having a baby tonight!

We arrived at Swedish around 7:00 pm, and checked into Triage.  They got me all hooked up to the monitors, and checked my cervix.  I was 4 cm dilated, 90% effaced, with contractions 5 minutes apart.  It was kind of funny that this was my third time giving birth, but the first time I'd ever had my cervix checked (also my first time timing contractions!).  Tanya met us in the triage room around 8:00.  My contractions were still pretty mild, I think I told them I was a "3" on the pain scale.

The triage nurse said they could admit me now, or I could walk around for an hour or so first.  She suggested that since I was trying to have a pain med-free birth, I might want to hold off on going into the L&D room for as long as possible.  That sounded fine to me, so around 8:30 we headed out for a walk.  The nurse also suggested that it would be a good time to eat, if I was hungry, since I wouldn't have a chance to eat until after the baby was born.

We had eaten dinner before we left (I can't remember what I ate??), but I thought a smoothie sounded good, and I knew there was a Jamba Juice right outside.  Unfortunately it was closed.  So was Starbucks, right next door.  So, we headed across the street to McDonalds.  I got a smoothie and fries (I had a coupon!).

While we were waiting (it seemed like forever!), my contractions started to intensify.  I used the bathroom there, and had a couple pretty good ones.  Tanya suggested we head back, since she REALLY did not want to have to deliver a baby on the bathroom floor of McDonalds:)

The walk back was intense.  I couldn't really enjoy my smoothie because there were so many hard contractions.  We arrived back at Triage around 9:30.  They wanted to check me again, though I'm not sure why, since they were already planning on admitting me.  I was dilated to 5 cm, 100% effaced, with a bulging bag, and contractions 3 minutes apart.

At this point, I was definitely experiencing pain, and was anxious to get up to L&D so I could get in the jacuzzi tub.  I hadn't been able to use the tub with Marley OR Amelia, and was really looking forward to laboring in it this time.

We walked into the birthing suite at 10:00.  Our nurse started filling the tub, but she wanted to start an IV first.  I didn't need any meds, but they like to have a hep-lock in place just in case.  Well, she couldn't find a vein.  She stuck me several times, and even called in the charge nurse to try.  They just couldn't get it.  It felt like forever, but they finally gave up and let me get in the tub, around 10:20.

That water felt SO good!  The nurse told me to let her know when my water breaks.  I couldn't believe my water still hadn't broken!  I was so sure it was going to be the first thing to happen.  But literally right after she said that, my water broke (10:28).  Then, she told me to let her know if I felt the urge to push.  Next contraction: definite pushing urge.

She reached down and could feel baby's head.  Reluctantly, she told me I had to get out of the tub.  I could tell she felt bad saying, "The last place I worked allowed water births, but Swedish doesn't." Bummer.

Getting out of that tub was the hardest thing I had to do that night. I considered refusing, but figured that wouldn't go over well.  Ever so slowly, I heaved myself out of the tub. I crawled up onto the bed, but that's all I could do. So, I stayed on my hands and knees for a few pushing contractions. Someone raised the back of the bed up for me to lean against, which was helpful. Having my awesome husband by my side was also helpful!  I remember Tanya showing me a photo of Marley and Amelia as inspiration at this point.  I needed it.  We were entering the "I don't think I can do this!" phase.

A lot happened in the last 10 -15 minutes before Samuel was born.  Much of it is pretty fuzzy to me. In fact, I didn't really even know most of what had happened until later.  

Apparently, Dr. Okorn had arrived shortly after I got out of the tub. She was not pleased to find that I didn't have an IV in place. She was, also, not happy with Sam's heart rate. She decided to place an internal monitor on his scalp to get a better reading, which confirmed that his heart rate was indeed dropping. She had me change positions (not fun!) in hopes that would make his heart rate come back up. It didn't. Just as Dr. Okorn turned to grab the vacuum, I gave one final push for all I was worth. And out Samuel popped at 10:53 pm.  Whew!

It was only then that I found out the reason things were so difficult in the end was that he came out posterior (sunny side up) with his arm over his head! Plus, our little pumpkin was not so little, at 8 lbs 13 oz and 20" long! 

So, for those of you keeping score, that's:

12 total hours of labor,

2 hours of painful labor,

1 hour in the birthing room,

10 minutes in the jacuzzi tub,

25 minutes of pushing,

1 beautiful, healthy, baby boy!

More Birthday Pics!

Birthday Boy!

Sam's is the ghost.  Marley and Amelia wanted candles, too.

He had just woken up from a nap and wasn't sure what was going on.

Not really sure about this.

Oh!  It's yummy!

One Year-Olds

Samuel: 27 lbs, 30"

Amelia: 21.5 lbs, 30"

Marley: 21.5 lbs, 30"

Dear Baby Boy

You have managed to make your own way as the littlest member of our family.  You prefer to be right in the mix of whatever's going on in the house.  You hate to be left alone, even for a minute.  But, you will happily play as long as someone stays in the room with you.  You love your big sister and brother, and they adore you.  You are a full-fledged member of their little club, and you know it.

You don't say a lot, yet, but you certainly know how to express yourself.  I love the look of pride on your face when you help unload the dishwasher, clumsily thrusting each dish up at me.  I love how you giggle your way through your favorite books, excitedly turning the pages.  I love how snuggly you are, wrapping your arms around my neck, and burying your face in my chest when you're sleepy.  I love your toothy grin.  Your smile melts my heart. Every. Single. Time.

Samuel, you complete our family in the most perfect way.  It's as if we've been waiting for you to join us, and now that you're here, everything feels just right.  What a wonderful year it's been, getting to know you!  I can't wait to see what you'll do next.  Happy Birthday.

Sibling Rivalry

Yup, I'd say that accurately depicts about 80% of their interactions.

11 month old beach babies

 

 Let's see, what's new this month?  Sam can wave hello and goodbye.  He, also, says "Hi", but it sounds more like "Ha". He can crawl super fast.  He cruises along the furniture, but doesn't really stand unsupported yet.  He still has 8 teeth (where are the rest of those teeth?!?).  He's trying really hard to say Marley and Amelia's names.  He responds to everything you say to him with, what sounds like "Huh?".  He can play the kazoo.  He usually takes two naps a day (occasionally just one, though). He goes to bed around 8 pm and wakes up around 7 am, with lots of wake ups in the middle.  He likes to dance. He bites.  Hard.  He hates wearing socks.  He loves playing with his older siblings, and wants to be wherever they are at all times.  He is too distracted to nurse for more than a couple of minutes (at most!) at a time during the day (hence all the night wakings, I'm assuming).  He wears 18-24 month size clothes. He likes to roll toy cars and trucks along on the floor.  He listens to Vampire Weekend when he gets rocked to sleep. He likes to hide things and find them again.  And again, and again, and again:)

Samuel: 26.5 lbs, 29.5"

Amelia: 21 lbs, 29.5"

Marley: 20.5 lbs, 29"

Rain, rain...stick around

Living in Seattle, we pretty much have to embrace the rain, otherwise we might not leave the house for months at a time! When the weather turns yucky, we break out our rain gear and head outside.

The alley leading to Schmitz Park has all kinds of giant puddles to jump in.

The park itself is pretty magical in the rain. Everything is so lush and green.

I'm getting good use out of my new Bogs. Thanks, Mom!

I let the kids lead the way as we explore the woods.

They were almost too busy for a short rest on this bench. 

Amelia describes in great detail some of the things she saw.

Marley says he feels strong and powerful hiking through the park.

It wasn't raining very hard that day, but it was definitely coming down at times. The funny thing was that we passed at least 15 other people walking through the park in the rain! I love our neighborhood!

Still a Baby

Even though Sam will be turning one this month (yes, I know I still owe you an 11 month post), he is still very much my little baby. I've been trying to savor, what I consider to be, one of life's greatest pleasures: rocking a baby to sleep. It's not always easy to savor at 2 am, but on mornings like this, when the big kids are both at school, it's heavenly!

ps. This is an iPhone post. I hope it looks okay because I think posting from my phone will help me stay on top of my blogumenting a little better.

More Overheard

Amelia: Do you want to play The Superhero and The Princess?
Marley: No thanks.
Amelia: Do you want to play The Princess and The Superhero?
Marley: No.
Amelia: How about The Superhero Saves The Princess?
Marley: No, I don't want to play that, either.
Amelia: Do you want to play The Princess Spins Around and Twirls?
Marley: I think you could play that one by yourself.
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Amelia does not like to say each other.  For some reason, she just thinks it sounds wrong.  So, instead she says you chother (or maybe it's youch other, I'm not really sure).  Marley has tried many times to correct her, but she thinks (naturally) that her way is best.
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Marley: (to me) What's 6 + 3?
Marley: (before I can answer) Nevermind, I'll just look it up. (Counts on his fingers to 9.)

Overheard

Marley and Amelia have the strangest conversations in the back seat of the car.

Exhibit A:
Amelia: I spy, with my little eye, something that starts with "er."
Marley: Is it the road?
Amelia: No, it's a rainbow.
Marley: Where?  I don't see a rainbow.
Amelia: It's an invisible rainbow.
Marley: Amelia, there's no such thing as an invisible rainbow.
Amelia: Well, I can see it.
Marley: Ugh, I hate when Amelia uses her imagination.

Exhibit B:
Amelia: I want a turn [with that toy]!
Marley: No, Amelia, I'm never giving you a turn.  You can have a turn when you're dead!
Amelia: But, Marley, if I'm dead how will I hold it?  Will you put it in my hand for me?
Marley: Yes, I'll make your bones hold onto it.
Amelia: And will you move my bones to make me play with it, too?
Marley: Yes.
Amelia: Okay, thanks, Marley.

Laundry Baskets are (mostly) fun

Kindergarten

As horrible as I have been at blogging lately, I couldn't let today pass without sharing a little about this monumental day: Marley's first day of Kindergarten!  He got to meet his teacher last week, which calmed most of his jitters.  This morning, he jumped out of bed and was ready to go!

It was pretty exciting walking to school with all our neighbors, joining the ranks of the "big kids".  We walked Marley into Room 1, and he found a seat near one of his preschool buddies.

The kids lined up to head outside for the flag raising ceremony and the principal's welcome speech.

All the parents were invited to stay and watch the ceremony.  For 51 years, a member of the Schmitz Family (the school's namesake) has attended this first-day-of-school tradition.

Afterward, the PTA hosted a coffee social in the cafeteria.  Then, we headed home, leaving Marley to enjoy a fun first day!  And I didn't even get weepy!

He reported that:
*During choice time, he played with Legos, but he didn't have enough time to build what he was trying to build, so he hoped there would be more time with Legos the next day.
*At recess he played with Miles and Henry J.
*The kids mostly stayed at their desks, but went to the carpet once.  They sat on rows of different colored squares.  His square was blue.
*He sat next to Henry J. at lunch.
*He didn't use the bathroom at all during the day.
*They got to see the gym, but didn't do PE, yet.
*The day went by really fast!

It's not easy being three

I've been trying to write this post about Amelia, ever since her third birthday two three almost four months ago now.  It's hard to know where to start with this girl.  She simultaneously brings me joy and frustrates me to no end.  I suppose that's just part of being three.  And a girl.  And the middle child.

She has a hard time remembering that people can't read her mind.  She's not a great communicator, but not because she lacks the vocabulary.  Often, she bursts into tears, seemingly out of no where.  When we finally get her to tell us what's wrong, it's usually something like, "I thought you were going to get me a glass of water!"

She cries and melts down less often these days. Jeff has been really great at helping her develop some coping mechanisms - the biggest one being a request for her "calm down" music (Neil Young's Harvest).  Over the last year, she's gone from being a complete and total mama's girl, to actually preferring Daddy sometimes.

Quite unlike Marley, she completely clams up if an adult talks to her.  At her three-year doctor's appointment, she barely said two words to the doctor!  Being the center of attention makes her very uncomfortable.  She actually reminds me a lot of myself as a child.  Maybe that's why she can drive me so crazy!

Here's a little more about 3-year-old Amelia:

*Height: 38" (70th percentile) 

*Weight: 31.5 lbs (58th percentile)

*She can recognize many letters and numbers, and can even write a few, including her name.
*She's getting faster on her balance bike, but bike riding is still not her favorite thing to do.

*She has a big imagination, and is a great story teller.  She enjoys putting on "shows" with her toys for Marley, when she should be falling asleep.

*She loves reading, and will happily page through book after book on her own.  Though, she also loves being read to.

*She is independent.  She wants to do things herself, even when she can't (frustration from this brings her to tears often).  I think I've been allowed to pick out her clothes a handful of times over the last year.

*She loves to play with and take care of her baby brother.  She always sets aside little bites of food for him from her plate.  She gives him his binky when he cries in the car, and offers soothing words ("It's okay, Buddy.") She gives him lots of cuddles and hugs, often not in the most gentle way, and loves to make him laugh.

*She loves to play with her big brother.  They usually come out of their room in the morning with well-formed plans of what they're going to play.  Some of their favorite things to do together are dress up, build (legos, magna-tiles, etc), and draw.

*She's as stubborn as ever, and really likes things to go according to her plan.
*She love to play alone.  She can spend hours in front of her dollhouse, making up stories by herself.

*She is so creative.  She thinks of the most interesting names for her toys (like Ohkoh the cat), her stories (The Nightmare of Soulser is my favorite), and herself (Princess Crusto, among others).

*She loves to help out around the house. Whenever I'm cleaning or picking up, she joins in, usually without even being asked.  Marley is becoming quite spoiled, having Amelia picking up after him all the time!
*She isn't the most adventurous eater, but she'll usually try new things with some encouragement from Marley. She went through a brief stage (I think it's over, thankfully!) of dumping food/drinks that she wasn't happy with on the floor. Her favorite food is cheese, cheese, and more cheese!

*She still wears diapers at night, but is getting more and more reliable on the potty during the day.
*She no longer naps, but sleeps in her own bed for 11-12 hours a night.  She occasionally (about once a week) wakes up crying in the middle of the night.  Usually she's had a bad dream, and will fall back asleep fairly quickly.

*She has trouble saying a few sounds.  Her 'R' comes out sounding more like a 'Y'.  So, Marley=My-way, shorts=soits, fork=foik, and my favorite: sorry=sigh-wee.  It's freakin' adorable.
*She loves going to school, and highly values direction-following.

*She's an intrepid explorer, with very few fears.  She recently offered to accompany Marley down to the basement to protect him because he was scared.

*For her birthday, we took her to Red Robin downtown on the waterfront.  Then, rode the ferris wheel for the first time.

 I could say so much more about Amelia, but I need to end this post before she turns four.  So, there you go!