Hey! Everybody! Meet Little Lady Lola!

Whelp, it's official, I had a baby.

Miss Lola Ann was born August 7, weighing in at a robust 8 lbs, 9 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. She has a head full of brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes, 10 fingers, 10 toes and quite a pair of lungs. She enjoys eating, sleeping, pooping and being worn in her carrier as mom shops or eats while trying not to drop food on her.

Smiley Little Lady, Two Days Old

What? What's that? You want to hear the story of the day she was born?

OK! And for those of you not in the know, you can read TJ's day-of-my-birth story here.

So it was a Monday like any other. My mom was in town and I had stayed home from work that day, as I was 41 weeks pregnant and no longer amused by schlepping, well, anywhere, but especially to work. We watched the Olympics that evening (what else), I read blogs (what else), peed a lot and did my best to ignore the aches and soreness in my abdominal area that had become routine over the past couple weeks.

Tom was working that night and as soon as I talked to him at 10 p.m. when he got off work and he told me he was going out for a drink with some of his co-workers, I just knew our late little bundle of joy would be arriving that night.

And I was right!

I went to bed around 12:30 a.m. and that's when I noticed the achey soreness in my abdominal region had started to come and go in a bit of a pattern. It didn't hurt enough to really bother me so I did my best to relax and rest until Tom got home.

Fast forward to 2 a.m., Tom got home and came to bed.

Me: "Don't get too comfortable."

Tommy: "Why?....Seriously?"

Me: "Yeah buddy, this is definitely happening." <I make large circular motion with my arm over my giant baby bump area>

Tommy: "I knew it! I knew if I went out it would happen today...and I was right!"

Me: "Yeah, I knew it too. Rest while you can, I haven't timed anything but these suckers are definitely getting closer together."

He didn't listen. Tom tried his best to lay down and relax for approximately 3 minutes, before he insisted I call the midwife, then go sit in the tubby, and he began his pacing.

So that's what I did. The midwife (her name is Faith and she's awesome) told me to stay home as long as I was comfortable and to shoot for having my contractions be 5 minutes apart for about an hour before coming in.

Thank Jeebus we didn't listen to her!

I sat in the tub for about 20 minutes, TJ "randomly" woke up (ahem Tom, loudest laugher ever), and my contractions got more intense and closer together. Tom had called his mom to share the news already, and it was at about this time that Tom's stepdad Ken texted and told us to "stop dicking around and get to the hospital."

Sound advice, Ken.

I got dressed, called the midwife to tell her we were on our way, we zipped up our hospital bag (which had been packed for like a month and a half), took one last picture with T as a family of three, and headed out the door.


Headed to the hospital - last photo as a family of three.

I proceeded to have three contractions on the walk to the car, then three more in the car, then three more during the 100 yard walk from the parking garage to the emergency room entrance.

Once in the ER I presented the requisite ID's, as well as my pre-registration paperwork to expedite our check-in (pat on the back, me), hopped in a wheelchair and headed to OB Triage. Once there I changed into my so-stylish hospital gown, got hooked up to some stuff, and was told I was dilated to 6 centimeters. Yeah buddy.

OB Triage
 

It was about this time that Tom figured out there was a set of numbers on the monitor I was hooked up to that told when I was having a contraction and how strong it was. This was a fun discovery for him. He then provided a running contraction commentary for me for the duration of our stay in OB Triage.

After we had been in OB Triage for about 30 minutes (it was now around 4:45 a.m.), I started to get a little testy, and really hot and sweaty because the contractions were very intense and fast at this point, and all I could do was lay on this stupid gurney waiting for the nurses to complete paperwork and get me admitted. One nurse made me lay on my side, and as soon as she left my curtain cell I literally spit hatred on her name during my next contraction and then figured out a way to stand up with all the stuff still attached to me. This backfired a bit when I discovered all I could do from there was move around like a caged animal in the approximately 2.1 cubic feet of space allowed by all of the wires and cords on my person.

Finally, FINALLY we were ready to move to our delivery room and it was at this point I was basically completely immobilized everytime I had a contraction and they were only about a minute and a half apart.

We got to our delivery room a little after 5 a.m. and Tom immediately started the shower for me as I clumsily tried to put my bathing suit on. All I wanted was to escape to the sweet sweet little sanctuary that had been so comforting when I delivered T. I didn't quite get there, though. Between the nurse putting more stupid monitors on my belly, my ineptness at changing, and the fact that (Whoopsie!) my water finally broke, I didn't actually make it to a real shower until the next day.

As soon as my water broke I told the nurse (between expletives) I needed to start pushing. She ran into the hallway to get my midwife and a team of others, and the real party started. I'll spare you the intimate details, and just skip to the part where a crying baby was placed in my jurisdiction, Tommy cut the cord and at 5:26 a.m., only two hours after we  had left our house (thanks again Ken), our second little miracle came to be!

Lola
 

We took pictures, made phone calls, studied her little face and marveled at how fast it all went down. I, for one, was thanking the HEAVENS that it went so fast, as I opt for the natural childbirth method, I really don't know if I could have handled that intense of contractions for too much longer - it was seriously ridiculous. But, just like our first labor we came through it on the other side with a smile, and a healthy, seemingly content little baby! The rest of our hospital stay was uneventful. And BORING. But this time we came armed with reading material, and the Olympics was on, sooo.

Watching the Olympics, obv.


Tom needed to take a load off after the long night.
 

Fast forward to now, baby Lola is still a dream. She has assimilated very well into our little family unit so far, sleeps like 20 hours out of 24 and eats like a champion. I'm thinking she just may fulfill her daddy's wishes and become a competitive eater. Of course, he only wants that to keep the boys away, but judging by the way the child eats I would not be surprised if it came to fruition, and the only milkshakes brought to her yard are vanilla, chocolate or strawberry.

TJ is adjusting like a champion too. He came to the hospital to meet Lola that Tuesday afternoon and was more engrossed in pushing the red button on the side of my bed than he was with fawning over his new baby sister. Whatevs, he's 2. Since we brought her home there has been only one incidence of hugging too hard that basically gave me a heart attack, but other than that he's been gentle and loving, and even tries conversating with Lola.

T, Lola. Lola, T. Love each other, kay? Thanks.
 

T: <As we load up to go to the store> "Lola, you coming to the store toooo?"

Lola: <Blank stare...looks at something shiny...sees her hand move out of the corner of her eye and watches it suspiciously...>

T: <Confused as to why he is being ignored> "Momma, Lola coming too?"

Me: "Yes, boyo, Lola is coming too."

T: <Big smile> "OOOOOK! Alright!"

Me: <Big smile...accompanied by little heart flutter>

And our story continues...

Ciao from Babyland,

Christa

P.S. Enjoy this picture parade of the last three weeks...

  

Hanging out with T right after coming home from the hospital

 

My dad (Pop Pop to the kiddies) pushing the stroller on our first family walk after coming home from the hospital. That buggy is a beast.

 

Pretty Sleeping Girl

 

Lola with my mom (aka ShlimShlam, or Ding Dong) Ready for Kelly Jo's wedding

 

Teej and Lo with Pop Pop and Shlim right after the Altgilbers nuptials

 

Family pic

 

With smiley great-gramma Hitz

 

 

It's Yaya!

 

In her pretty purple tutu, a gift from Yaya!

 

First trip to Roc City to meet the fam, two of Tom's siblings Rachael and Dan (aka ChaCha and Deepers)

 

I'm Trying to be Really Nice to the Dogs In Preparation for When I Hate Them in 5 Weeks.

We have two dogs. There is Stockton, Tom's 11-year-old pug and our resident senior citizen. And there is Miley who is my sweet little lady mutt rescue wonderdog.

I heart our pups.

Until I have a baby and I hate their guts.

Two years ago before I had TJ I loooooved my little Miley and Stockton. They slept with us in the bed every night, we went on daily walks no matter how gross or crappy it was outside, we cuddled and played, I dressed them up and bought them toys and covered them with blankets when they were cold, and there were many evenings when Stockton would lay on my chest and Miley would lay on my legs while I was reading or watching TV. At the time I seriously could not imagine loving any living thing more than I loved these dogs.

And then I had a baby. And the dogs were like three times his size. And they became public enemy #1A+.

GIANT DOGS, tiny baby...and Stockton winking at the camera as if to say, "This kid is going to replace me on the throne of greatness? We'll see about that..."

Why public enemies, you ask?

Well, first and foremost there was the barking...Oh My G, the barking.

EveryTIME T was sleeping somewhere in the front room area, one of these two assholes would decide to bark at something, usually imagined, and T would, of course, wake up. Just, no.

I was not afflicted with any sort of post-partum depression difficulty when I had TJ, but you would never have known that if the only time you saw me was when I was around these dogs. They were always in the way, they were always barking, they always needed food, or water, or to go outside, or to breathe.

And then, of course, there was the shedding. They. Shed. Everywhere. Making the environment FILLED with contaminants and dander that could harm my child's breathing functions and I hated them.


I wanted to kill them, in fact. I wanted to open the door, let them run outside, and then lock the door behind them. Or drive to the middle of a field, let them out of the car, and then drive away. Or stuff them in the bathroom and make them live in the tub forever.

So in preparation of all of those feelings returning in 5-6 weeks, I'm doing my best to be nice to them like the old days. I'll be honest, Stockton is just too smelly anymore to lay on my chest and be allowed to breathe/sneeze directly into my face, and it's just too big of a pain to take them for a long walk EVERYday, especially if I have to do it all by myself with a two year old, AND pick up the poop (a weird no-no during pregnancy).

So there you have it. A confession of negativity. A chink in the sunny disposition.

Stockton and Miley, I love you...for now.
Christa

First Time Mom vs. Veteran Mom

I have noticed a lot of differences in my attitude and preparations as we ready the Parr household for our latest Baby-palooza adventure.

For example:

...I don't have 14 lists of things to buy and things to do

...I'm not obsessed with reading the baby websites, emails and newsletters for hours a day

...I'm really not concerned with having the "newest" and "best" products

...I have yet to purchase a single stitch of clothing for this new baby

Don't get me wrong, some preparations have been made - we got a hand-me-down crib (fo free!) from one of my co-workers who was moving (and it's really nice, so that was a score!), my aunt found a used $80 Jeep double jogging stroller a friend of hers was selling and picked that up for us, and Ken and Connie are passing their "Goat Watch Oh-12" barn video monitor to us after they are done using it. So there are some wheels in motion. But honestly, as long as we have 3 things when we bring the baby home, we will be all set...

1. Our Pack-and-Play (it's blue, but I don't care, it will do)
2. Some diapers (we could really pick these up on the way home from the hospital)
3. Me

You know what I have been doing a lot more of this time around, though?

Nesting.

I am an organizing fool these days. After having experienced the inexplicable chaos that ensues upon bring home a fresh shiny baby, what I want more than anything is to make sure all of our systems are in place.

I don't want the bills and mail to be piled up in any capacity.
I don't want a house full of laundry.
I don't want dog hair everywhere.
I don't want clothes that need to be put away.
I don't want dishes in the sink.

And it makes apparently perfect sense in my brain to make sure all of these things are done every single day from now until the baby arrives.

This reminds me - I should probably register so my work baby shower doesn't get me something totally random. And I need to learn how to make cute bows for baby girl to wear, because as it stands she will be wearing a LOT of blue.

No Wonder Kids Throw Tantrums in Public - They Look at Millions of Buttholes All Day

Have you ever crouched down to the eye level of a toddler riding in a stroller? Try it sometime. We were at the Lincoln Park Zoo a few weeks ago, walking through the monkey house with my parents, and TJ was becoming a bit unruly, so I crouched down to his level to talk to him and supply some sustenance, only to make an alarming discovery.

To set the scene, the monkey house was packed - apparently spider monkeys and gorillas and chimpanzees draw quite an audience on a Saturday afternoon in Chicago, but as I looked around from T's eye level, literally all I could see were people's butts. Big butts, small butts, some as big as your head! Flat butts, mom-jean butts, bubble butts, butts that I'm sure were really wrinkly, and I guarantee there were some butts within my nose smelling radius that were farting at that very moment. Right in my and my kid's face.

No wonder kids throw tantrums in public places! When you stick them in their stroller, all they can see (and smell) are strangers bungholes! Why has no one thought of this yet?! Or maybe someone did, and that was the genesis of the "Sit and Stand" stroller concept.

Try as I might to "get into the mind of my one-year-old" this was a revelation to me. If all I could see were butts when I looked around I would be pissed enough to throw a tantrum in a public arena, too. Kudos to our kids for keeping it together for as long as they do in crowded public places.

When we visit DisneyWorld someday we will definitely NOT make our kids ride in a stroller - that place is elbows to assholes for the adults walking around, can you imagine what the kids in strollers endure?! I encourage you all to be sensitive to the rampant epidemic of buttstink in the world - for your kids sake. By the time you detect a smelly butt your kid-in-a-stroller has probably already been subjected to the stank for like 2 minutes, so my God people - run! Separate from the crowds! I mean seriously, how would you feel if you looked around and all you could see were BUTTS?!

I'm glad I could shed some light on this topic for you - Good luck out there, and may you remain pinkeye free.

Christa

...And Now This is Happening.

Remember the last time I blogged sometimes? Sure you do. The year was 2010, and I started this blog (memoir from here on out - blog is disgusting) called Stockon's Gonna Be a Big Brother to keep family and friends informed and mildly entertained as TP and I prepared to join the brotherhood of first-time parentdom.

Whelp, in spite of my best intentions I let the blog (memoir) fall by the wayside after our firstborn, and heir to our vast fortune, made his appearance. Sorry about that, but in my defense, I was a tid-bit busy with a shiny new baby, a full-time job, and a less-than-ideal house situation. Specifically, we were living in a one-bedroom home with no dishwasher and no washer/dryer. Unfortunately, this is no joke. When I think back to those days, I can only laugh. What stupid idiots we were! I was a sleepy-eyed weirdo with crazy hair, no make-up and deoderant on the front of her wrinkly, Febrezed shirt with ZERO time or energy to write things down in a cohesive and organized manner that anyone in their right mind would care to read.

But we're in the zone now! What a difference a washing machine makes, and boy do we have a LOT of great stories to tell.

And what better reason to get back on the blog (memoir) train than that we are expecting once again!

Yep. That's me six days ago. We are 23 weeks along and growing. Not to be confused with glowing, because for those of you who have never had a baby - that "glow" is nothing more than oily sweat slick all over your face. And now you know - you're welcome. But as my face gets shinier, so does my hair, so that's a plus.

To be clear, I don't intend for this to be a mommybabyparentsblah blog (memoir), per se, though. I have a vast amount of knowledge to share, and several really important things to say that the entire world needs to know. No one should be spared the wonder that is Christa, so stop in often...and be dazzled. And for those of you who think I'm serious, please hold up your left hand, smack yourself in the face with it, and continue reading.

So since we're already talking about babies, we found out our little one's gender yesterday. Wanna guess what it is? I'll give you a clue...actually, here are 11 clues. 50/50 shot, good luck.

          

         

         

       

Tip of your life: Never do a Google Image search for "pigtails" when you are preparing to bring a sweet, innocent baby girl into the world. Trust.

Welcome back to my memoirs...let's do this!

Hey! I'm Back!

Oh man, has it been forever! I have missed blogging! Three months, 2 weeks and 1 day into this craziness I feel like I FINALLY have enough of a handle on this parenting thing to say we have established the all-important routine. Let's catch you up on the last three and half months, shall we?

The first 6 weeks after Thierry's birth I was on maternity leave. And it was AWESOME. Tommy was in his brother Dan's wedding on August 21 (6 days after bebe made his appearance) and left for NY on the 18th - the same day my parents arrived to meet their grandson and hang out while baby daddy was away! When he was 6 days old Papa Mac took Thierry to his first baseball game (outside the womb, that is, he had been to approximately 50 games while in utero). Tomas returned to us unscathed the day after the wedding and we met him for a much-anticipated reunion in San Francisco. After meeting Tommy at the airport we spent the day at Pier 39 and enjoyed a birthday lunch (for ME) at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. We left mom and dad, er, excuse me, Gramma and Papa in San Fran and returned home to Motown as a family once again!

Tom's parents Ken and Connie (aka Yaya and Poppie) came to Modesto about a week and a half after TJ was born for a delightful visit that included lots of laughter and an awesome rib barbecue at our house. My mom came back for a double dip and overlapped her visit with Ken and Connie's so they could meet each other. Shar-Bear stayed for a week and was an enormous help with the baby and around the house! Anytime you wanna come back ma, you're more than welcome :) After the visits were over the days blissfully ran into one another, we didn't get much sleep, and took lots of walks around the neighborhood with our baby boy for the remainder of my maternity leave.

Buuuuut, those long days of delightful relaxation and hanging out with all of my babies came to an end and I returned to work in October. Fortunately my boss has allowed me to work part-time from home and my schedule in the office is only 8:30-1:30 everyday until we return from our Christmas holiday break in January.

At 11 weeks TJ started sleeping through the night and he has been a ridiculously amazing baby since we brought him home. He's incredibly strong and very easy-going. He doesn't cry too often, rolled over for the first time when he was 7 weeks old and loves to hang out with mom and dad. He's also content spending time with himself, and at just 3 months likes sitting in his bouncer or laying under his mobile and just checking everything out. One thing he does not particularly like is sitting in one place for too long, and he lets us know it! He's starting to recognize words, is smily and giggly and absolutely fantastic. I could seriously gush about the kid for hours!

Being a parent is completely surreal. I can't even describe it. But I know that I love it. Over the next couple of weeks I'll catch up on some of the fun adventures we've had since welcoming Thierry, and do my best to keep up with everything that's coming up. For now, here's some pictures of the boy...welcome back to blogging MOM...bahaha, so surreal :)

This is What We Were Doing August 14...


Brand New...


Just Cleaned Up...


Home from the Hospital...


Us...


First Baseball Game!


Thierry Goes to San Fran...


Baby's First Bath...


Mmmmm...Ribs...


One of Our Favorite Things...


Yaya and Gramma!


Ready for Some Football!


15 Weeks...