He's here!

Here is our little sweetie, Jack Robinson Webb, born Friday, July 27, 2012 at 11:23 a.m. He weighed 6 lbs 11 oz. and was 19 inches long.

Just in case you were wondering, here is how it happened.

On Thursday night around 7:30 we were eating dinner around our little card table, laughing, and having a good time when I thought I peed my pants. Oops! I thought as I ran to the bathroom. Being just over 38 weeks pregnant, I knew there was a chance that it was not pee, but also being 38 weeks pregnant knew there was a very good chance that it was pee (anyone who has ever been pregnant can relate, I'm sure). Anyway, I decided that it was nothing significant until the same thing happened 30 minutes later. About an hour later, yet another episode. Now, I was starting to get a little nervous. This frequency of pant wetting would be unusual, even for me. I called my OB office, and they told me to head to the hospital.

I started freaking out a little (or maybe a little bit more than that). We had only been in Ithaca about 2 weeks. I had expected to have another 2 weeks before having a baby. My bag was not packed. I had not washed Jack's laundry. There were 6 half opened boxes and their contents strewn about our living room. Jack's car seat was still in in a box somewhere in the attic. His bed was not set up yet. And most of all, I did not have anyone lined up to take care of our little Maggie-pie while we went to the hospital! I was not planning on having a baby yet.

My mom was to arrive 1 week before Jack's due date (in plenty of time, I thought!) to be here to watch Maggie. In the very unlikely chance that Jack decided to come more than one week early, I had planned to ask our neighbor to watch Maggie. Turns out, she went to Ohio for the weekend. Crap!


I had ONE (and only one) other phone number in my phone for any person living in the area, a girl named Trina. "Well," I said to Joe, "I guess I will call her." She has also been so welcoming and kind from the very day that I arrived. Still, calling her, I felt like I was saying, "Hi, remember me? Yes, we just met one week ago. Will you come over to my house, right now, and watch my two-year old and keep watching her for an indefinite amount of time while I have a baby?" Luckily Trina is wonderful and sweet and came right over without hesitation. Still, by the time she arrived, I was in tears because I felt so horrible asking such a big favor of someone that I hardly know, because Maggie was going to wake up in the morning in a house that she still doesn't really understand with no idea why Joe and I weren't there, because my house was in a complete disaster, and because I was really not quite ready to have a baby.

Joe and I headed to the hospital arriving around 10:30 p.m., and sure enough, my water had broken. The MD on-call recommended that we begin induction that night to avoid the likelihood of infection, so around 12:30 pitocin was running, but at a very slow drip. I had hoped that with just a small dose my body would kick into labor on it's own. By 7:00 a.m. (and after a few blessed hours of sleep) it was clear that labor was not happening, so the medical staff started cranking up the infusion. Every 20 minutes they increased the dose and within a couple of hours I was in active labor and only starting to actually believe that I was going to have a baby and soon. Things started moving quickly. At about 10:00 a.m. I was dilated to a 4-5, and I asked for an epidural. By the time the anesthesiologist made it to my room around 10:30 a.m., I was at a 7. By the time he left a little before 11:00 a.m. I was at a 9. Ten minutes later, a 10. A healthy, beautiful, little Jack came to join us at 11:23 a.m.

Even though I was quite unprepared and unready to have a baby, I am so happy that Jack is here! I certainly would trade a messy house and a little unprepared-ness for a shorter pregnancy (Maggie didn't come until 41 weeks!) and a healthy little baby. My little brother Jeff jumped right in his car after work and drove out from Boston on Friday to stay with Maggie to relieve Trina who cared for Maggie through Friday afternoon. We are so grateful to all of the people who so willingly helped us! I was really nervous to move across the country and away from friends and support systems right before having a baby, but thanks to so many kind people, things have turned out well. In many ways it is a blessing that Jack came two weeks early. Because of his early arrival, Joe still had about a week before starting school and we have been able to enjoy some wonderful time as a family.

And, WE HAVE A BABY!!!

Welcome baby Jack. We are so glad that you are here!

We are here.

We made it! Of course, we've been here almost two weeks now. I don't have any pictures yet, but we are starting to get settled in; there are still boxes yet to unpack and many things yet to do before little Jack comes to join us. I should be working on all those things instead of typing. Oh well.

Here are a few first impressions:
1. Very nice people. We have been VERY warmly welcomed. I am so grateful for all the people who have been so nice and friendly!
2. Tree lined streets and farms. Very green. Beautiful. Rural.
3. I am never going to learn my way around. All streets looks the same. . . two-lane, tree-lined, winding, and headed where? I don't know. That is the point.
4. Deer are EVERYWHERE. One day I counted 11.
5. Fireflies make me feel like a little kid.
6. Intolerably hot. Santa Monica spoiled me BIG TIME. Also, I am 38 weeks pregnant. That doesn't help.
7. Shopping . . . not so much.
8. No traffic. That is nice.
9. Very hilly. Running with a stroller is going to be a challenge. Plus, there are no sidewalks.
10. I have to walk down two flights of stairs, outside, down a hill, to the back of the building to do laundry. When it snows and I have a newborn and a toddler who likes to run away this is not going to be very fun.
11. The hospital where I am going to deliver is tiny. I know size is not a reflection on quality, but having come from working at Ronald Reagan UCLA which is regularly ranked as one of the best hospitals in the country, this hospital feels a little small. I mean, does it still count as a NICU is there are no babies in it? I shouldn't be nervous. Can't help it.
12. On Monday I picked 4 pounds of blueberries. Yummy! They are already half gone. If Jack doesn't show up soon, I am going to go pick some more.
13. An ice cream shop with 24 flavors of soft serve ice cream . I don't know if Maggie, myself, or Joe was most in heaven.

Maggie is adjusting somewhere between pretty well and not great. I don't know if she just happened to have a sudden onset of terrible two's coincidentally upon our arrival or if her behavior is really move related, but I am sure having a very pregnant (i.e. grumpy, hot) mom who is unpacking boxes instead of taking her to the beach doesn't help. Also, we accidentally set the fire alarm off in her room when resetting the fuse box while she was sleeping. It scared the poor little thing half to death, so she doesn't really care for her new room very much. I am hoping that she starts feeling more comfortable pretty soon. I am nervous about bringing a new baby into her world that already feels like it is sitting on it's head. But, she loves babies (and not much we can do about it now anyway). I am sure that it is just a matter of time before this place starts feeling like home to all of us. In the meantime, I am going to eat blueberries. Lots and lots of blueberries.

This is what we do while we wait

This whole move has been surprisingly harder on me than I thought it would be. I am really enjoying soaking up a little last minute family time, both with Joe's family in Utah and now with my own family in IF as Joe makes the drive east, but I have cried much more than seems reasonable, especially considering how much I wasn't really excited to move to L.A. three years ago. I am hoping that I can contribute at least some of the tears to being 36 weeks pregnant, but as Cathi once said, it is funny how the place that you don't want to move to always seems to become the place that you don't want to leave. That is certainly how I feel about Santa Monica. I have been the most sad over the last week when Maggie has started crying and asking to go home. I feel bad taking my baby away from her home, which is funny since it won't take long for her to forget it completely. Maybe that is why it makes me so sad. Now, I am just hoping that NY quickly becomes the next place that I don't want to leave. Wish us luck in our new home.

Bye, Beach

Right now Joe is somewhere in Illinois driving a big, yellow Penske while Maggie and I are hanging out in Idaho Falls waiting to fly out and meet him in Ithaca. It still seems a little unreal, but I am pretty sure it will feel a little bit more real on Wednesday night when I touch down in NY and see our apartment for the first time. In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures of our last family trip to our little beach in Santa Monica. Tear.

The other day I asked Maggie, "Are you cute?"
"No," she responded. "I just crazy."

 

Not exactly my best picture ever, but I think there is something so sweet about a toddler sitting on a baby belly

A few things I will miss about Santa Monica . . .
1. Friends
2. The beach
3. The beach
4. The beach
5. 65-80 degree weather everyday of the year
6. Sunday evening walks in perfect weather along a bluff overlooking the beach
7. Family coming to visit (Jeff and Sam, I think you might be our only hope! Come visit us!)

A few things I will not miss!
1. Traffic
2. Apartment managing
3. Joe's commute (i.e. traffic)

A few things that I am looking forward to . . .
1. Waterfalls
2. Lush, green
3. New England in the fall
4. Making a snowman with Maggie
5. Finally visiting DC
6. A new adventure . . .

Party like you're three!

Many afternoons and evenings have been well spent playing in the courtyard with these cute kiddos. Maggie learned Lucy's name before even her own. Thanks to great neighbors and friends! They will be missed.

Packing

What have I been up to lately? Well, obviously not blogging. I have been packing up my house, selling furniture, and generally living in a state of disorganized chaos. We will be moving to Ithaca, NY in about 2 weeks for Joe to pursue an MBA at Cornell.

Yes, it does look like a tornado hit our living room, and bedroom, and bathroom. I guess that is what happens when you sell all the furniture that used to hold items. When you get rid of your dresser, naturally, your clothes end up . . . . where exactly? I think the whole problem is that I don't exactly know. I am wearing a skirt which is literally the only clean piece of clean clothing I could find this morning.

Maggie is being a pretty good sport watching her world turn on it's head. Of course, she really has no idea what's going on, but she has started to say "but I miss it" when she watches things (like our kitchen table and her changing table) being carried out our front door. I assured her we would get a new table, so she keeps reminding me that getting a new table is something that we should do. Also, she wants a "cute" new rocking chair. She is fascinated with the idea of a snowman and keeps saying "build a snowman in New York. when it's snowy." I think she might be a little disappointed when she realizes that snowmen don't actually sing and dance, but at least for now, she is really excited to move to New York just so that she can build a snowman, when it's snowy.

For good measure, here is a picture of Maggie dancing her heart out on our coffee table
when we still had one, of course :( 

And, also, just because she is cute, but curse that binky! She loves it so much.

Happy Birthday to you!

Little Maggie-pie,

I can't believe that you are two years old! The last two years have gone by so fast.

You are such a sweet and happy little girl! You have an almost constant smile on your face, and you generously give hugs and kisses to your Daddy and I. Today we were talking about how baby Jack is in my belly. You gave my belly a pat, tried to look down my shirt to see the baby, and then you leaned down and kissed my belly. I think your little brother is going to be very lucky to have such a sweet older sister. You show the same consideration for your baby doll and your stuffed animal "friends." You are often changing their diapers, giving them food and drink (real and imagined), placing them for naps (even sharing your special blanky for nap time), rocking them in your arms, and giving them hugs and kisses. There are a few bikes stored behind a fence that we pass each time we walk from our car to our apartment. You always want to go see the bikes. Today, while we were looking at the bikes, you said, "oh, cute bikes!" (these are adult size, rusty, missing seats and tires). Then, you patted the tires, and when I tried to encourage you to move on, you had to give the bikes a parting hug (I cringed because you were wearing your new birthday outfit and we had just come from church and also, but it was "sweet" as you so often say).

You are also a super energetic little girl. When we went car shopping until 1:00 a.m. one morning, you literally ran in circles around the dealership until we left. One of the workers told us that they had taken bets about when you would eventually crash. Around 11:30 p.m. he told us they had all lost the bet. The next morning when I tried to wake you up for church, you batted my hands away, closed your eyes and made fake snoring sounds. I tried to pick you up, and you batted at my hands again, and continued with the snoring sounds. You love to run, jump, and spin in circles.

You LOVE to sing and dance. When we drive around in the car, you sing any lyrics that you can pick up, and it is impressive how quickly you pick them up. I think your favorite song is "here comes the dinosaurs." We sing and march around the house to this song usually multiple times a day, but you also know the lyrics to many of the songs that your Daddy and I like to listen to.

You are a really good little talker--almost making complete sentences, and you are pretty patient when I can't understand what you are saying. Instead of getting frustrated, you repeat yourself over and over or try to act out whatever you are trying to get me to understand. The other day when your Daddy couldn't figure out what you were saying even after repeated effort on your part, instead of getting frustrated, you just started laughing at him. You are still learning to use pronouns; if you want me to hold you you say "hold you?!" or "sit by your?!" It is so cute, that I haven't tried too hard to correct you. I know that you will figure it out in good time. You can say all your numbers in order to 10, although you skip 5. You also know that the teens come next, and will jump randomly from one teen to another when trying to count until you start back over at 1. You are still working on your colors, and will almost always say that something is blue when asked its color. You also use blue as an adjective to describe a particular thing (e.g. "blue one binky"you might say to try to get me to understand that you want your favorite binky which is actually red and clear).


I am so grateful for the chance that I have to be your mother. You are so sweet, energetic, loving, smart, kind, cute, cuddly, beautiful, fun, and funny. Even though you are teaching me patience (I think that is sort of what motherhood is for), you bring so much light and joy to my life every day. I want to freeze you in the moment so that you will never grow any older, so that you will always be my squishy cheeks, little sweetie. Yet, still, every day I am so excited to watch you learn, grow, try new things, and make new steps.

I love you!
Mommy

Your cake is supposed to be a beach (your favorite place for the best I can tell). The bears are lounging on beach towels and floating in inner-tubes.