Adjusting

It struck me as I was doing laundry this week.  Folded neatly before me were four stacks -- one each for me, Nathan, Ford and Grant, plus a stack for linens.  

Four stacks.  Four people.  A family of four.  

Slowly but surely, through everyday things like folding laundry and seeing two car seats in the rearview mirror, reality is sinking in and we are adjusting to having a new little family member.  

Perhaps the easiest transition of all has been Ford's.  While maintaining his normal routine of full days at school and typical evenings at home with family dinners, playtime, baths, and stories, he has adjusted to Grant extremely well.  

Of course, Grant spends most of his time eating and sleeping, so Ford's interaction with his little brother has been somewhat limited.  But when he has the chance, he is super sweet with lots of kisses, pats, and baby talk. 

When he's not showering Grant with affection, Ford spends his time playing.  It's amazing how much time he can spend in his room entertaining himself.  

Sweet brotherly moments aside, Ford is generally more interested in his toys right now than he is in Grant.  This seems typical for a boy.  But whether he's playing with his train table, wrestling with Daddy, or talking about Transformers, he has remained his normal happy and playful self without unusual misbehavior or striving for attention.  As with most changes in his short life, Ford has adjusted very well.

So far (16 days and counting), it's been an easy transition.  We are so grateful!

What I've Learned in 10 Days

In the 10 days since this precious boy was born, I have learned a few things.

For starters, everything is so much easier the second time around.  When you know what you're doing and, most importantly, what to expect, it's easy to deal with the initial pain of nursing, the sleep deprivation, and the fussiness.  As a result, I'm not nearly as anxious with Grant as I was with Ford.

6 lb. 15 oz. baby versus 8 lb. 2 oz. baby ... no comparison when it comes to ease of delivery and recovery.

Rolling out of bed in the middle of the night is less painful with a summer baby than it is with a winter baby.

Infants are absolutely precious.  Whereas I may have unintentionally wished away Ford's infancy, always looking forward to the next milestone, to him sleeping through the night, or to him nursing less often, I find myself wishing time would stand still with Grant.  Now that I know from experience how quickly they grow up, I'm genuinely cherishing every moment.

The spectrum of baby poop is a rainbow - each diaper is like a colorful developmental marker.

The first two weeks are all about cuddling, eating, sleeping, and more cuddling.  Instituting a schedule can wait.

Pretty soon Grant will be sleeping 12 hours straight at night.  I will miss the middle of the night feedings when this happens, so I'm going to enjoy them now.

My iTunes library needs some updating and some organizing.  When you're home all day, it's nice to have a soundtrack.

These feelings are not forever.  I've realized with Grant that when I give so much of myself to one little person, there's not much left over for anyone or anything else.  While I'm busy taking care of his every need, I'm running thin when it comes to everything else.  This is frustrating, but it's temporary.

Nursing is truly the best, easiest diet in the world.

The hardest part about the beginning is not being able to leave the house.  Oh, how I wish I could run to Target or Publix in the middle of the day!

The facial expressions of a sleeping infant undoubtedly top the list of the most amusing things in life. 

Finally, life with two is just beginning and there is so much more to learn.

The Starbucks Story

As mentioned in my last post, our early morning hospital trip to deliver Grant involved a little Starbucks visit for Nathan.  Even though I don't drink coffee, I understand that some folks require it to start their day on the right foot.  Since I was planning on delivering a baby that day, I certainly needed Nathan to be at his best.  So even though the hospital was a mere five minutes from our home, I did not mind passing it and traveling an additional ten minutes (roundtrip) for Nathan's grande nonfat white chocolate mocha with whip.  Nevermind that I was wincing in extreme pain from contractions that were coming every three minutes.  My man needed his caffeine.

We pulled up to Starbucks in the Vista and Nathan was giddy.  Giddy about having a baby or about getting coffee, I'm unsure.  But he was on cloud nine.  And when I say cloud nine, I mean not only that he was happy, but also that his head was in the clouds.  Let me illustrate ...

As soon as we parked, Nathan reached for his wallet.  But it wasn't there.  He's driving his laboring wife to the hospital where we'll stay for the next two days, but he forgot his wallet.  

I give him my debit card, he runs in and returns a few moments later with his mocha.  Before pulling out of the parking space, he searches his pockets for the debit card.  "Oops, I think I lost your debit card," he says.  I might roll my eyes at this point before he finds the card in the corner of a pocket.

As I catch my breath after another painful contraction, we backtrack toward the hospital.  We are blocks away when Nathan again searches his pockets, this time for his phone.  "Uh oh, I think I left my phone at Starbucks," he says.  Fumes might be coming out of my ears at this point as he again searches his pockets and eventually finds the phone. 

We pull into the parking garage at the hospital and make our way to the crosswalk, pausing as I keel over with another contraction.  We're halfway through the crosswalk when Nathan says, "Wait, did I lock the car?  I don't remember hearing a beep.  You wait right here while I go back."  I am beside myself at this point.  

Nathan returns from the parking garage.  I stand with hands on my hips and bulging eyes, trying to maintain my composure as I prepare to birth our son.  Unable to bite my tongue any longer, I exclaim "YOU HAVE GOT TO GET IT TOGETHER!  I NEED YOU TO BE THE STRONG ONE RIGHT NOW!"

"I know, I know.  I'll get it together, sweetie," he promises.  Then he takes a gulp of his white chocolate mocha.  That caffeine could not kick in soon enough!

Grant's Birthday

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, we welcomed our precious son, Grant Benjamin, to our family.  In keeping suit with big brother's birth story, here is the tale of Grant's arrival ...

It was a typical Monday evening.  After full days at work, we settled into our nightly family routine, eating dinner together, getting Ford to bed, and relaxing on the couch for some quiet moments before bed time.  Everything was normal, except I wasn't relaxing.  Beginning around 8:00pm, I started having painful contractions.  This was not unusual, though, as I had experienced similar contractions on and off since week 33.  Besides, they ranged from 10 to 15 minutes apart, no where close to the 5 to 8 minute span required before calling the doctor.   

Fast forward to 4:30am.  Contractions continued at the same rate and intensified.  Breathtaking pain not only kept me from getting sleep, but also made my mind run wild.  Could this be it?  At 37 weeks and 3 days?  A call to the doctor was in order.  The on-call OB asked:

Did you go into labor on your own with your first?  Yes, my water broke.
So you know what real contractions feel like?  Definitely.
Then come on in and we'll see if you're dilating.

We showered, straightened up, kissed Ford goodbye, and left for the hospital as soon as Nathan's mom arrived to stay with Ford.  It was about 6:00 am.  

Upon arrival at the hospital after a Starbucks run for Nathan (a story for another time), we were admitted to triage to determine if I was really in labor.  As my contractions increased in frequency and intensity, it seemed like hours before nurse Barbara (the same nurse we had with Ford!) determined I was 5cm dilated.  We were off to a delivery room where the on-call OB broke my water before the new on-call OB, Dr. Salley, took over.  With a warm and friendly personality, Dr. Salley has been one of our favorites since he made a house call to treat me after Ford's birth.  We were happy to have him deliver Grant as he actually made the experience fun (well, as fun as labor can be).

But first, an epidural was ordered.  Having suffered from a bad cold for two weeks, a stomach bug over the weekend, and already 12 hours of active labor, I did not have the strength or stamina to consider going naturally like I did with Ford.  I received an epidural in the knick of time as I quickly dilated to 8cm and was on my way toward pushing.  For the record, it was so much easier with an epidural.  Nathan wholeheartedly agrees!

At 10:19am, Dr. Salley handed me what can only be described as a crying, blood- and fluid-covered baby straight from the womb.  The nurse removed my gown for immediate skin to skin contact and I embraced our brand new son in awe as Nathan looked on.  With a full head of dark hair, button nose, and deep blue eyes, Grant was absolutely perfect.  We were in love.

After precious moments of bonding and nursing, they cleaned up Grant and took his stats.  At 20 inches and 6 lbs, 15 oz, Grant was the perfect size considering his early arrival.  Needless to say, I was relieved we did not make it to the due date with an 8 or 9 lb baby.  Grant was so alert as we doted all over him, marveling at the little miracle who answered two years of prayers for another child.   

While I recovered and attempted to use the bathroom to no avail (catheter required just like with Ford), Nathan got to know his new little buddy, all the while wondering where in the world Grant got his dark hair.  After all, the rest of us - Nathan, Ford, and I - had all been bald at birth.

Ford was patiently waiting with his grandparents for us to emerge from the delivery room.  We had his outfit picked out - a personalized big brother shirt and khakis - but he insisted on wearing camo to show off to his new little brother.  He was so proud and so happy to meet Grant and has been super sweet to him from day one.

Our two nights in the hospital were quite nice.  We ended up with three nurses who took care of us and remembered us from Ford's birth.  We had a huge room which was great for visitors.  We were able to rest and enjoy our little bundle of joy.

After our hospital stay, we were ready to get home and start a routine as a family of four.  Nathan has returned to work and Ford to school, while my days are filled with feedings, diaper changes, cat naps, and lots of cuddling with sweet Grant.  

We praise God for the gift of another child and cherish the opportunity to parent two precious sons.  Welcome to the world, Grant!

Brothers' First Meeting

Hello World, It's Grant

Grant Benjamin Stratton

February 7, 2012

10:19 AM

6 lbs. 15 oz.

20" long

Ford: Three and a Half

Dear Ford,

On January 30th, you turned exactly three and half years old.  When milestones like these roll around, I usually can't help but marvel at how quickly time passes.  But this milestone is different.  It doesn't feel like "just yesterday" we were bringing you home from the hospital in the hot summer of 2008.  Instead, you've grown and matured so much that your infancy seems like ages ago.  

When you leap off the furniture or play football (you as Alshon Jeffery or Marcus Lattimore) in the backyard with Daddy (Daddy as the bad tigers), it seems so long ago that you were taking your first steps.  When you go to the bathroom by yourself and emerge with clean hands, a flushed toilet, and buttoned pants, the years of diapers seem like a distant memory. And when you describe things as "similar", "amazing", "cool" or "beautiful", it seems like there was never a time you could not speak in complete sentences. 

A particularly amusing development the past few months has been your ability to play independently.  I suppose it varies for all children, but after three years, you can play for hours by yourself.  With your wildly amusing imagination, you create dinosaur "conservations" (yes, you called it a conservation!), chase a flying moose with a spaceship, and build forts for your transformers.  I know all about these adventures for two reasons.  First, you show me.  With great excitement, you grab my hand, leading me to your play space on tiptoes, brimming with anticipation for the big reveal.  You are most certainly in a "look at me / let me show you / watch me / come see" stage.  The second way I know what you're doing is by listening.  When you play by yourself, there is no silence.  Ever.  Instead, you talk and provide sound effects constantly, providing an amusing soundtrack to play time with things like BOOM, CRASH, OH NO!, HE'S GONNA GET YOU!, WATCH OUT BELOAD! (as in, below).  Your mouth is in constant motion and it's not just when you're playing.  It's all the time - riding in the car, sitting at the dinner table, visiting with family, etc.  Silence and Ford simply don't mix.

Perhaps your constantly running mouth is just trying to keep up with your constantly running body.  You are so active and physical that even when you sit down, you fidget and squirm.  You are high energy from sun-up to sun-down.  Naturally, this has led to problems here and there at school with listening and sitting still, and it certainly wears us out.  But there's an upside.  For instance, you are generally up for anything - new places, new people, new activities.  With your easygoing personality, you tend to adapt well to most any situation.  For the most part, you are not shy, fearful, or easily intimidated.  You don't throw tantrums or pitch fits.  As long as we can wrangle all of that energy in positive ways, you are generally an easy child.  

Of course, I wouldn't be giving you a complete picture if I ended there.  It ain't all giggles and hugs!  Like any child (and any human being, for that matter), you can be stubborn, whiney, opinionated, and rebellious.  Dinner time has become particularly challenging as you fiddle around, finding any possible distraction to keep you from eating.  Cooperating while getting dressed and teeth brushed is also challenging.  There are other challenges, of course, but in the grand scheme of things, they are so, so minor.  

As you grow older, there are fewer and fewer "Ford-isms".  Except for misusing pronouns (ex. "Where'd him go?"), you generally have good diction and conversational skills.  Still, there are things you say that make us do a double take like ...

Mommy: "Ford, do you want to go on a trip? Where do you want to go?"
Ford: "To the Jurassic time period to see the dinos!"

On the way home from the doctor's office ... "Mommy, my tummy still hurts.  I think a lollipop would make it better."

"Mmmmm, ice cold milk! [big sip] I'm gonna turn into an ice pickle!"

Around Christmas time ... "Are the three wise men going to visit our baby?"

At Chick-fil-a, Nathan holding up the prize from the kid's meal ... Nathan: "I'm going to turn in our prize for ice cream."
Ford: [long pause and extremely puzzled] "How you gonna turn that into ice cream, Daddy?"

At dinner time around the table: "Mommy, this is a yummy meal.  Thanks for making it for me."

During a recent week when we were all sick, rubbing my face: "Mommy, you take care of me when I'm sick and I take care of you when you're sick."

"Is our baby gonna tear the pages in my books?  Is our baby gonna put my toys in his mouth?"

Other recent developments include wanting to help me cook dinner, a growing interest in superheroes (thanks to your Daddy), an ability to remember details from months ago (such as swimming in the kiddie pool in Hilton Head last summer), and a strong aversion to disappointing us ("I'm sorry, Daddy. Are you mad at me? Do you still love me?").  

As I finish typing this letter, your baby brother is doing flips in my belly, reminding us that he is on his way soon.  Your life is about to change forever and we have no doubt that you'll shine in your new role as big brother.  While we are so excited to welcome a fourth member to our family, we look back at the past three and half years and wonder how life could be any happier.  You have made our lives so full.  We love you, sweet boy, and are blessed to call you our first-born son.

Love, 

Mommy

I'm Going to Miss My Hair

It's February.  I'm going to have a baby this month.  Life is about to change forever. 

Change is good.  It means that I'll have a precious baby keeping me awake at night instead of a huge belly and an aching right hip.  It means that we can enjoy actually being a family of four instead of just talking about it all the time.  It means that Ford will become a big brother and that we'll convert from two-on-one to one-on-one parenting.  And it means that I'll lose my hair. 

Yes, having another child means that my hair will fall out.  Not all at once.  Not in big clumps.  I won't even notice it at first ... not until I find a bald spot at the edge of my part, right where a beautiful patch of hair used to form the backbone of my "swoop".  At least that's what happened with Ford.  One day I had a swoop, the next day I had a boring side-part and an enormous forehead.  And only now, some 3 1/2 years after having Ford, has that beautiful patch of hair grown back.  Sure, it's still in an awkward baby-hair phase where it sticks up uncontrollably, but it's there! 

But not for long.  The cycle continues.  Baby comes and hair goes.  I'm going to miss that patch of hair.  But when my swoop-free self beholds this sweet baby, I won't think twice about it.

Magical

This time last year we were planning our trip to Disney for early March.  In two relatively short days at the Magic Kingdom and one at the Animal Kingdom, we made the most wonderful memories.

Even though it was somewhat risky taking a 2-1/2-year-old, we would not have changed a thing about our trip.  It was perfect.  And now, almost a year later, all we can talk about is going back for another trip.  Every time we watch the intro to a Disney movie, Ford points at the castle and says, "We went there!"  Every time Nathan and I talk about traveling, we always pine for Disney.  And sometimes, out of the blue, one of us will just sigh and express how much we miss Disney World.   We truly had a magical time last year and cannot wait to return.

Counting Down

When my mother and I found ourselves dressed alike for Christmas Eve, we decided a few photos were in order.  Somehow, we ended up with this profile shot showing my 32-week belly.  From what others tell me, my growing child resembles a basketball tucked neatly under my shirt.  It's very similar to how I carried Ford ... see 35-week post here.  But that might be where the similarities end.

I vividly remember the last few weeks of my first pregnancy.  We were so eager, so anxious.  We busied ourselves getting every last detail prepared - from studying the natural birth process, to packing for the hospital, to setting up the nursery.  We were ready.  And the last thing we wanted to do was wait until the due date, July 26, 2008, much less wait another four days until his birthday on July 30.  The days went by so slowly, but we were so happy and so excited.

This time around, I am perfectly content to have baby boy stay put.  Although we're dying to meet this new bundle of joy, we are in no rush.  For starters, we're not ready.  The car seat needs to be installed.  The baby gear needs to be disinfected.  The lovey needs to be monogrammed.  There's so much to do.  Also, we're happily savoring the last few weeks we have as a family of three.  And we're keeping busy, because busy comes with the territory of working full-time, keeping a home, and raising a 3-year-old.

But wouldn't you know that baby boy isn't content to let the weeks pass by until we get to #40.  Nope.  With preterm labor symptoms starting at 33 weeks, he's making it clear this pregnancy is nothing like the first one.  Thanks to lots of prayers, a husband who helps out around the house, a mother who provides a week's worth of meals, and a little medical intervention, things have slowed down.  Emotions are all over the place, but mixed with the fear of going into labor "too soon" is amusement that even before we meet him, our sweet boy is asserting his individuality.  Indeed, this pregnancy is unique and so is baby boy.

Isle of Palms

As mentioned before, we spent our New Years at Isle of Palms at a beautiful beach house owned by very generous, very dear friends.  Thank you, Richardsons, for having us!

Even in the winter, Ford can't get enough of the beach.  It helps that it was 70 degrees outside and the beach was covered in shells.

We took a lovely bike ride into Wild Dunes to feed the turtles (and to steer clear of the resident alligator!).

Ford and Nathan were quite the bike-riding pair.  It was so fun.

Here is Ford with Uncle Joseph.  Ford is blessed to have many "aunts" and "uncles", but Joseph and Katie are definitely two of his favorites.  

Our wild man was not sure what to do with a gown-wearing, pink-toy-playing, girly girl.  But these two ended up having a blast together.

Searching for sea shells ... Ford's most favorite activity on the planet.  Seriously, the level of enthusiasm for each and every "beauuuuutiful shell" was insane.  

Another walk on the beach.  Father and son ... doesn't get much better.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I threw out one of my rules this year.  I have always said no house items for Christmas or Birthday gifts (house items being things like vacuum cleaners, crockpots, sheets, etc.).  But after several of our kitchen items started to bite the dust, I changed my tune.  After all, most things in our kitchen were given to us as wedding gifts or brought into the marriage by one of us and they are showing some extreme wear and tear.  Sure new boots would have been nice (and I definitely love the new Tory Burch clutch Nathan got me), but what I really wanted for Christmas were nice, new, shiny kitchen gadgets.  

Clockwise from top left: Williams-Sonoma mixing bowls, a Zwilling J.A. Henckels knife, All-Clad measuring cups & spoons, and Williams-Sonoma quarter baking sheets.

I am loving using these items and especially appreciate the quality.  It's like having new toys!  Thanks to Nathan and my parents for making my Christmas wishes come true and thanks to The Dough Will Rise Again for some of the gift ideas!

I love 2012

We spent a wonderful New Years at Isle of Palms with dear friends who were kind enough to invite us to their beach house with their family.  It was relaxing and beautiful thanks to 70 degree temperatures, and it was the perfect start to what will surely be an incredible 2012.

2012 will be a special year because we will welcome another precious child to our family.  The beginning of the year will be full of excitement for his birth and by the end of the year, we'll be enjoying a 10-month-old.  We will also celebrate six years of marriage and watch our oldest child turn four.  

Of course, it's no surprise that 2012 is a momentous year.  After all, even-numbered years mark most of the important events in my life ...

1980 - I was born.
1998 - I graduated from high school. (I'm sure there were memorable, but not momentous events between '80 and '98 - losing my first tooth?  learning how to ride a bike?)
2002 - I graduated from college.
2006 - We got married.  I graduated from law school.
2008 - Ford was born.
2012 - Son #2 will be born.
Also, it was not in my lifetime, but 1978 is important because it is the year Nathan was born and my parents got married.

So welcome, 2012.  I'm glad you're here.  And a fond farewell to 2011.  Thanks for all the fun!

Squeezing in Christmas Highlights

Our decorations were taken down days ago, it's a new year, and we've been hanging out at the beach in 70 degree weather, so Christmas seems like it was eons ago.  But I can't let the memories go unrecorded, so to close out our Christmas, here are some highlights.

Our Christmas celebrations always include separate get-togethers with my parents and sisters, my mom's side of the family, my dad's side of the family, and Nathan's family.  This year, everything kicked off on Christmas Eve with dinner at my parents.  Clearly and coincidentally, my mother and I considered garnet tops and gold jewelry to be festive Christmas Eve attire.

The big, exciting gift was the roundhouse train set for Ford.  He has enjoyed playing with cousin Noah's hand-me-down train table and tracks for over a year, but he loves the roundhouse set.  We are also excited about the fact that we can permanently affix the set to the train table and avoid falling bridges, broken tracks, and pieces strewn about the room.  Thank you Nina and Grandaddy!

The following morning was spent at Casa Stratpack where Santa left everything Ford asked for and more.  One of the "more" gifts was this scooter which, on a rainy Christmas morning, was perfect for riding around the living room.

Among the requests that Santa filled was a hunting set complete with a moose, elk, deer, bear and hunter.  Bumblebee the Transformer was also a hit.

Makeup-less, slightly sleepy and pajama clad but totally enjoying our fourth Christmas with Ford, definitely the best one yet.

We even spotted an extra-large superhero who looked a whole lot like our little superhero.

After a fun Christmas morning and our traditional Christmas lunch at my grandmother's, we spent the rest of Christmas day at Nathan's parents.  My mother-in-law always comes up with a creative stocking theme and this year it was "hot and spicy."  In our stockings, we all found fleece head wraps and had to pose for a crazy photo reminiscent of our Snuggie shots from a couple years ago.

The day after Christmas was spent with my dad's side of the family, followed by dinner with friends at our house.  It was a wonderful holiday season and as always, we were sad to see it pass so quickly.  At the same time, we are excited to transition into full baby prep mode.  Less than 8 weeks to go!

Christmas Scenes from Our Home

It took a year, but we finally started working on replacing our Christmas theme with one we picked out from Cottage Living in 2010.  There's still a long way to go, but at least we started.  Some of the big differences included a burlap ribbon tree topper (my first attempt at making a bow thanks to a youtube instructional video), wooden bead garland from Pottery Barn, and several new ornaments from a local boutique.  We also went for a large seagrass basket instead of a tree skirt.

Several presents were wrapped in brown packing paper for a rustic, natural feel.

We also ordered burlap stockings from Etsy.  Each stocking should have a rustic metal plate with our initial hanging from it, but those did not arrive in time for Christmas.  

Other common sights around our home included cinnamon rolls lovingly made for friends and family.  (Flour-covered, sticky-fingered baker not pictured.)  Recipe via PW.

We also saw a lot of this little hunter.  He's so proud of his camo and his toy gun.  And he absolutely loved getting exactly what he requested for Christmas: an elk, a moose, a dear, a bear, and a hunter (i.e. this).

Watch out deer!