Transitions

Introducing....

Tiny L joined our family one and a half weeks ago. Time has passed in a blur (thank you sleep deprivation!!) and yet, in some ways, it feels like she's always been a part of our clan.

God's timing....
On Friday, June 11, I was beyond ready!! At the advice of my midwife, I took castor oil (I mixed it with pepsi, an idea passed along by a friend; BAD IDEA!!!!!) at 1:15. Totally anti-climatic. So disgusting with no results!! Sigh. In hindsight, I am glad labor did not begin until a bit later! At 5:30 I called my midwife, "not even a twinge," I remarked with a sigh of disappointment. She suggested I try again, if I could tolerate the wretched taste ;). If that didn't work, wait until Sunday and try again.

Okey dokey.

This time I mixed a "cocktail" - oj, ice, pb, and of course, castor oil. Gave it a whirl in the Magic Bullet. Oh Y.U.M. I shudder still. Within 1/2 an hour, things were under way. Jon was home. My parents, who were in town for the local fair, just happened to stop by (dad had a hunch and so they popped in to see how things were going). Perfect timing all around. The kids were well cared for. Jon & I could finish packing in a calm manner and off we went. We arrived at the hospital at 8:15pm and by 11:22pm Tiny L made her way into the world.

Totally intense. Totally overwhelming. Totally perfect.

Transitions....
In the days (and nights!) since, we've been working towards finding a rhythm of life once again. That'll take a while, but slowly we're getting there. Tiny L's big sisters are completely in love with her. Little M commented "Mom, she's cuter than a PUPPY!!" Yes, yes she is :).

Transitions are always a bit overwhelming for me. Simple things feel like gigantic tasks, and it feels like beds will be rumpled, floors will feel crunchy and dishes stacked forever. I know this is not the case, but it always starts off a bit ... daunting.

Probably the biggest adjustment has been the introduction to breast feeding. For a variety of reasons, I was unable to BF the first two girls, but I wanted to try one more time. It has been .... painfully interesting!!! .... but we're getting there. I think ;). Can't say I love LOVE it yet. But maybe one day, or so they tell me :).....

A glimpse into the past 10 days....

 

  

  

Little M pretending to be eaten alive by the couch --- Tiny L's first bath!!

Past Due

Sometimes it is hard to wait.
Well, I've never found waiting easy, ever, though sometimes it is harder than others!!


As of this Monday, I am officially feeling impatient!
My midwife assures me that this baby WILL be born at some point :), but with EIGHT SETS of contractions that have started, only to stop, I am beginning to have. my. doubts. ;).


Truth be told, even though I AM very very very restless these days (and somewhat irritable too!), I am so glad the baby was not born before now. Last week was rough, and I am thankful for the extra time to sort through a few things before wee one's arrival. 
Colds revisited and we were getting 2-3 hours of sleep per night (not enough to appreciate labor AND the following major-life-transition time!).
I needed wanted a new rocker, which I have sat in and enjoyed many many times!
I had a few parenting questions that needed to be addressed. Not that I have all the solutions (yet - ha ha ha) but I think we're onto something and it is encouraging and very very good.


However, I am also thankful I have come to this point. I enjoy being pregnant very much, and was not too concerned about going over due. Yes it is mildly uncomfortable, and I'm not running anywhere fast, and I make funny sounds when I have to bend down or stand up :), but I enjoy being pregnant and am willing to take these things in stride (with a little bit of whining to keep it real!). When Kezia was born a week early, I actually grieved, because I was not "ready" to be "not pregnant" yet. I was at 39 weeks.


Now, I think I am ready. Ready to be done. I've gotten to that point just shy of desperation, and yet in the midst of it all, I don't want my impatience to cloud my desire for God's best timing in this all. Throughout this journey, that has been a recurring theme, and I anticipate that there's more for me to learn about that. Good things, necessary things, beautiful things.


A dear friend sent me an excerpt from Romans 8 (The Message, vv. 22-30) - which I've read almost every morning since I received it:


^22-25All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

 ^26-28Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

 ^29-30God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. (emphasis mine).

Now is the timing for waiting. And soon, in the blink of an eye from the perspective of hindsight, we will begin the next chapter of this journey. Can't wait to see if it's a boy or a girl!!!

And now, it is also time for a snack, a favorite tv show, and some quiet time before I find myself sharing my nights once again!!!

Rock my world :).....

If rockers could talk, this one would have many tales to tell!!!

I have spent many many MANY hours in it, processing life, journaling, rocking babies, feeding, praying, even sleeping.

It has been my go-to zone for almost 11 years.

And now it has retired!!

Nicknamed "the squeaky chair," this already-been-loved rocker had many quirks.
A definite squeak.
A thump-thunk unless you planted your butt in JUST the right place. Then it was a lot quieter :).
A screw was stripped, so it kept coming loose.

But it was comfy. It was cozy. It was mine :).

Yet, though parting can be such sweet sorrow (it has found a new home at MCC :P), I am thrilled-beyond-words!!! to announce the arrival of my brand new Dutailier glider :). This baby is quiet, smooth as silk and has a firm seat (a MUST for any nursing/rocking for hours on end chair!!).
It has taken up residence in our home,

and I will just go and sit in it and rock, 

just 

for 

fun. 

Glllllllide is more like it :).

And since I just weeded all the front flower beds "one more time before the baby comes" (I've been saying that a lot lately, but baby still hasn't arrived :) --- I'm getting tired of making sure the bathrooms are tidy!), I purposely sit and look at the black dirt under the window.

Very satisfying indeed.

I will miss my highly-padded, over-sized rocker.
With it's funky faded spots and all.
We have had many good years together, all curled up with my favorite coffee mug.

But look forward to a new, long-lasting relationship with my new friend :).

Things that make my heart happy :)

.... mahhhvelous milestones!! ....

preschool graduation celebrated in style with

ice cream and orange sherbert as a special treat!

 

.... fuzzy little animals ....

preschool "summer fun day"

aka "winter carnival"!!!

the only thing missing was the snow --- brrrrr!!!

but we had fun anyway :)

 

.... sleigh hay rides ....

at this stage in my pregnancy, this was incredibly relaxing!!

i could've ridden around and around all day long :)

   

.... getting ready for the sun! ....

hoping for some warmer temps so that we can enjoy the new inflatable pool 

that hero dad picked up at canadian tire on a 50% off sale :)

AND soaking in the sunshiney rays while we can!

 

.... the flowers in my garden ....

i smile in sheer delight!